Latinos comprised almost 19% of the United States' workforce in 2023, in line with their proportion of the overall population, according to the latest figures from the Census Bureau. However, the demographic is still vastly underrepresented in practically all management positions.
Latino representation in most positions is between the high single and low double digits, the figures show. The only two categories in which they are above the population average are food service (19.3%) and entertainment and recreation managers (24,2%), arguably among the worst-paid positions of this caliber.
In contrast, the amount of Latinos at the top of the corporate ladder is comparatively low. Only 6.3% of all CEOs were part of the demographic last year. Whites still dominate the category, representing more than 85% of the positions. A little over 5% are Black and 7.3% are Asian, according to Census figures.
The only other areas with so few Latinos in management are training and development (4.2%) and farmers, ranchers and other agricultural (6.4%). As mentioned, other areas of the workforce show percentages that are between the high single and low double digits. Some examples are marketing (10.6%), sales (11.7%) and financial managers (11.9%).
In this context, different organizations have emerged to try reverse this scenario, Hispanic Access Foundation and Latino Leadership Initiative being two of them. In an interview with The Latin Times in January, Hispanic Access Foundation CEO Maite Arce described its MANO program, which consist on paid in natural resource management agencies. "We expose young professionals to careers that they are passionate about and haven't been accessible to them in the past," she explained.
"We're developing 10,000 leaders across all 50 states and the territories so that they have the capacity to address their communities and meet their needs. To do so we engage with trusted partners for the community and provide resources and opportunities to develop these leaders and secure funding to advance the work they do on community issues," Arce added.
The Latino Leadership Institute, on its end, has two main programs. Speaking to The Latin Times in November, LLI CEO Joelle Martínez said that "Ignite is a national program where we run public engagements every other month. "We're starting new cohorts of 30 Latinos every time. We also have that program embedded within our corporate Partners," she added.
The other one, she added, is Leap, "a nine-month program where we really build technical social and financial Capital into our Latino entrepreneurs." "They have monthly sessions but we are regularly providing advice and consultation to our Latino businesses," Martínez added.
Martínez also explained that 40% of Latinas will make a career decision based solely on familiar obligations. "So I've turned down promotions, I've turned down big opportunities. So if companies want more Latinas in leadership positions, they're going to have to get more in tune with some compromises that have to take place because we're not going to be willing to just walk away from our family," she said.
Asked whether she sees companies moving in that direction, she said: "Quite frankly, there are so few Latinos that are leading the strategy within companies around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and human resources. In fact, 76% of all human resource officers are still White. So we are not in these positions to make decisions and build strategies and align business investments to create change. We're still invisible in those spaces. So most companies don't even know what the issues are... Let alone have the solutions to address them."
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