New Website Makes Job-Hunting for Hispanics Easier

A Colombian immigrant has developed the means to help link jobs to Hispanics who are looking for opportunities to work in Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to an article by Spectrum Local News, Elizabeth Hurtado Escobar, a graduate of computer engineering from University of North Carolina in Charlotte developed the "Hay Trabajo" as a way to give back to her roots.

When Escobar moved to Charlotte nine years ago from Colombia, she struggled to find a job. It was her dad who encouraged her to just start door-knocking on businesses.

"He said, 'The way you find a job, you just go to the building, you just start knocking on their door, and you say you are looking for a job.'" Escobar said.

It proved to work as Escobar got a job as a waitress. Escobar juggled between her work and studying at UNC.

About a year ago she used her computer skills to develop the website. "Hay Trabajo" is primarily designed to help expand job opportunities for Hispanic immigrants in the United States. Aside from that, it also seeks to reduce labor irregularities such as employer abuse and crime caused by people posing as workers or companies to commit crimes or abuse those in need.

The platform provides a symbiotic relationship between companies and job hunters: employers can post jobs while job seekers can post their resumes.

Escobar said the site took off within the first month.

"My phone, everyday, was just vibrating at work," Escobar said. "Then I noticed that I had over 200 people that had applied for jobs, so it just started growing organically."

First one to be hired using the site was Guadalupe Gutierrez. She used to work as a dishwasher at a restaurant, but since it went bankrupt, she was forced to look for another job. Through the website, she was hired by Novant Health as a dishwasher.

A year since it was launched, over 800 people have already subscribed, according to Escobar.

Now, the website also caters a growing Hispanic population in the Queen City. North Carolina's Hispanic population has grown faster since 2010 than both the white and the black population

According to Data USA, as of 2018 Hispanics make up 14.5 percent of the population in Charlotte which is the highest among any city in North Carolina.

Escobar is looking to expand the website to include more businesses.

"I am looking for more employers, so any company that is interested in hiring more Hispanics, please let me know," Escobar said.

Escobar is only one of the many Hispanics who took part in the business community in North Carolina. According to Carolina Demography, Hispanic residents play an active role in North Carolina's economy. In fact, Mexico is one the state's top 5 trading partners. In 2016, North Carolina had $3.0 billion in exports to Mexico.

Same survey shows that the Hispanic/Latino population is highly entrepreneurial, establishing many new businesses in the state. From 2007 to 2012, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses in North Carolina showed an increase of 64 percent from just 21,300 to nearly 34,900. Hispanic who are still hunting jobs can take advantage of these opportunities.