Latino Workers Being Hired at Much Higher Rate Than Any Other Group

The U.S. labor market is swelling with Latino workers, according to a new government report, they're being hired at a rate that's much higher than any other group.

Sure, Latinos still have a long way to go if they want to reach employment levels frequently occupied by their white counterparts, but employment rates among the Latino population has increased by five percent over the last year (compared to 3.8 percent for African Americans and 1.4 percent for whites). As non-Hispanic Baby Boomers are retiring, young, U.S. born Latinos are better poised to penetrate the work force. Also, foreign-born Latinos, who represent half of Latino workers aged 25 or older, are swarming the workforce.

The construction industry has uniquely seen impressive Latino job growth, as the industry has seen a 20 percent increase in jobs, spanning California, Florida, Illinois and Texas. That growth translates to an increase in 321,000 jobs, and about 98 percent of those jobs (315,000) went to Latinos workers. This is excellent for Latinos employed in the construction industry because construction workers make above-average wages compared to other low-skill workers.

When it comes to construction, Latinos fill lower-skilled and lower-paid positions, while the higher skilled positions remain unfilled. The Associate General Contractors of America indicated that 87 percent of more than 900 surveyed contractors have trouble filling important craft worker positions (equipment operators carpenters and roofers) and professional positions (managers, supervisors and estimators).

The employment levels for Hispanic workers returned to the numbers present prior to the recession, while non-Latino workers are still behind. Nonetheless, Latinos continue to have high rates of unemployment than whites, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And they continue to make less money than their non-Hispanic whites.

Latino unemployment has seen a decline due to strict regulations on unlawful immigration. Also, job expansions in the service education and health sectors have contributed. According to a New York Times analysis, the unemployment rates for adult Hispanic women declined between January and February (from 6.2 percent to 6.1 percent). The U.S. Latino population represents 17 percent of the U.S. population, so Latino economic recovery could indicate overall U.S. economic recovery.