The number of foreign-born U.S. workers is on the rise, with the figure increasing by nearly 4% from 2017 to 2018.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the figure jumped 3.7% in 2018 and stood at 27.2 million workers by the end of last year. U.S. workers born outside the United States accounted for 17.5% of the workforce last year, an increase from 17.1% in 2017.

Foreign-born workers include people who have since become U.S. citizens, along with immigrants and temporary workers.

The number of foreign-born workers in the labor force has risen 17.2% since 2008, while the number of workers born in the U.S. has jumped up by just 2.8% in the same period.

"The top overall reason for people to come to the United States is for employment," the Migration Policy Institute senior policy analyst Jeanne Batalova told the Journal.

The most recent job numbers show the unemployment rate is at 3.6%, close to a 50-year low.

President Donald Trump unveiled his administration's immigration reform plan on Thursday, which calls for a focus on admitting people with high-level skills and advanced degrees.

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