Immigrants in Work Force: Study Belies Image.

ST. LOUIS -- After a career as a corporate executive with her name in brass on the office door, Amparo Kollman-Moore, an immigrant from Colombia, likes to drive a Jaguar and shop at Saks. ''It was a good life,'' she said, ''a really good ride.'' As a member of this city's economic elite, Ms. Kollman-Moore is not unusual among immigrants who live in St. Louis. According to a new analysis of census data, more than half of the working immigrants in this metropolitan area hold higher-paying white-collar jobs -- as professionals, technicians or administrators -- rather than lower-paying blue-collar and service jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]