Who is Hispanic?
Hispanics are not a race. Hispanics can be either black or white, though most are listed as white. Therefore the word "minorities" includes some Hispanic whites. And the word "whites" includes some Hispanic minorities. Among demographers, the precise term of art is "non-Hispanic white." Everyone else is a person of color. The distinctions are important for anyone comparing the pay level or job level of minorities and whites.
Hispanics account for almost 11 % of the American population, numbering near 30 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And their numbers are expected to triple by the middle of the next century, accounting for nearly a quarter of America's population. In presenting statistics, the Census Bureau warns of the problems inherent in generalizing about Hispanic households. The term Hispanic is rather artificial, encompassing people from 24 countries that are in themselves racially and ethnically diverse-racially Hispanics can be either black or white. An umbrella term used by statisticians out of practical necessity, Hispanic applies to groups as diverse as the generally affluent Cuban Americans of Miami and the Puerto Ricans of New York, the country's poorest ethnic group.
What is the economic situation of Hispanics?
Despite the vagueness and inclusivity of the term Hispanic, it has not skewed the disheartening statistical outcome-across the board, Hispanics are experiencing a downward economic slide. Even the increasing number of illegal Hispanic immigrants in the country, who tend to have little education, lack English-language skills, and hold service-sector jobs, have not distorted these results. American-born Hispanics are experiencing an equal decline in their standard of living.
Census Bureau data indicate that Hispanics in the United States are growing poorer. Between 1989 and 1998, annual income for Hispanics dropped 14%, from approximately $26,000 to less than $22,900. Furthermore, Hispanics now make up almost 24% of the poor in this country, a figure that has grown 8% since 1985. Hispanics now exceed the poverty rate of blacks, the racial and ethnic group that has traditionally been the poorest.
A number of researchers believe lack of education is responsible for the downward trend. Hispanics have the highest high school dropout rate in the nation: according to the 1990 Census, only 78% finish high school, compared with 91% of whites and 84% of blacks. A majority of Hispanics receive less schooling than their parents did. In 1994, only 9% of Hispanics over age 24 had college degrees, compared with 24% of non-Hispanics.
How many are in the Workforce
Federal agencies are under orders to increase their percentage of Hispanic employees sooner rather than later. In virtually every federal agency, the relatively few Hispanic employees are working mostly in lower-level jobs. The current numbers look bad. Hispanic men earn 81 % of the wages earned by white men at the same education level. Hispanic women earn less that 65 percent of the income earned by white men with the same education level. Hispanic American men have the highest workforce participation rate of any ethnic group at 78.2 %. In 1990, 370,000 Hispanic Americans had earned advance degrees now considered essential for climbing the corporate ladder.
The Office of Personnel Management, which under the Clinton administration has been the leader in addressing the lack of Hispanics in the workforce, presents some interesting statistics on Hispanic employment. The numbers show that Hispanics are 6.2 % of the federal labor force however they make up 11 % of the private sector workforce. More disturbing is how Hispanics make up only 2.9 % of the agency's employees. Given the growing number of Hispanic people in the United States, many feel that the OPM has a duty to represent the growing minority. In order to achieve more diversity in federal employment, OPM has devised a "10-point action plan". The plan includes stepped up hiring, outreach programs, and an annual budget for the sole purpose of recruiting Hispanics in federal programs.
According to the latest data, compiled on Sept. 30, 1997, the government employed 99,064 Hispanics in a work force of nearly 1.9 million. Among Hispanic employees, 59,603 were men and 39,461 were women. The data show that the number of Hispanic men increased from 3.6 % in 1996 to 3.7 % in 1997. The number of Hispanic women grew from 2.4 % in 1996 to 2.5 percent in 1997. Among agencies, the leaders in Hispanic employment are the Justice Department (12 % of its work force), Air Force (9.4 %), Treasury Department (8.1 %), Housing and Urban Development Department (6.5 %) and Labor Department (6.2 %), OPM data show.