November 01, 2016
November 2016, Cherrie Bucknor
There are about 24 million Hispanic workers in the United States. They come from a variety of backgrounds and face unique challenges in the U.S. labor market. Focusing on trends in the overall Hispanic community can conceal notable differences among Hispanics of different ethnic subgroups.
This paper presents data on the Hispanic workforce, highlighting the similarities and differences among Hispanics of different ethnic subgroups. The first section focuses on the diversity of the Hispanic workforce, examining differences based on gender, educational attainment, and citizenship. The second section provides data on several challenges that Hispanics currently face in the labor market, including unemployment, low wages, poverty, language barriers, and low access to health and retirement benefits. The last section shows the impact that union representation has in these areas.
