Hispanics in Low-Wage Jobs Despite Boom
S A N D I E G O, July 5, 2000 -- While the booming economy provided a lift for many American workers, Hispanics earned half what whites did in 1998, with many stuck in low-paying jobs that offered little promise of advancement, said a report released today by a Hispanic group.
Researchers said the income disparities detailed in the reportcould have troubling consequences because Hispanics are expected toform a greater share of the nation’s work force in coming years.
A growing but poorer work force could hurt the nation’s abilityto compete globally and fund government programs such as SocialSecurity, said Sonia Perez, a labor researcher for the NationalConference of La Raza and editor of the 230-page report.
“This isn’t about being nice to Latino people. This is aboutAmerica’s future and our best interests as a nation,” said Perez.The report was released at La Raza’s annual conference.
Report: Need for Educational Funding
La Raza President Raul Yzaguirre said an increase in the numberof part-time and low-skill jobs has played a part in keepingLatinos in lower paying jobs. But he said such factors aren’tunique to the Latino community.
“There was a time when a strong back and an ability to read andwrite would mean a good job in the manufacturing sector,”Yzaguirre said. “That is no longer the case. Now we are seeingextremely well-paying jobs or very low-paying jobs.”
Latinos face other barriers to better jobs, including havingless education compared to whites and blacks, said Perez. She saidmore federal funding should be allocated to programs like HeadStart, in which Hispanics are underrepresented nationally.
“Access to programs that have been shown to help schoolperformance has to be increased,” Perez said.
Per Capita Income Up for HispanicsNot all the news in the report was bad. Hispanics experienced the highest increase of per capita incomeamong the major racial and ethnic groups between 1997 and 1998.
Per capita income for Hispanics rose 4.5 percent to $11,434 in1998, while per capita income for blacks rose 3.3 percent to$12,957 and white per capita earnings rose 3.2 percent to $22,952.
The median income for Hispanic married-couple families was$34,816, compared to $54,736 for white families.
Perez said many people often attribute low earnings amongHispanics to the concentration of recent immigrants in the Hispanicpopulation, but their impact on the overall earnings picture isoften overstated, she said.
Native-born Latinos have a poverty rate three times higher thanthat of whites, Perez said.
“People focus too much immigrants,” she said. “The gapsbetween Latinos born here and white show we still have a way togo.”