Posted March 05, 2019 12:31:10 Race is now the fastest growing demographic category in the United States, with Hispanic immigrants increasing their share of the workforce, according to a report released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Hispanic immigration has been a strong driver of the country’s economy, with the median annual growth rate among all ethnic groups in the U.S. outpacing growth in the population of white Americans.
But there are concerns that the Hispanic population is slowing, with some predicting a population decline of between 3.4 million and 5.4 billion.
That would be more than the combined populations of white, black and Asian Americans combined.
While the report does not say how many Hispanics are now employed, the number of employed Hispanics is expected to grow by about 1.5 million in 2020.
Hispanics, a minority, account for about 11 percent of the U and C population, according the BLS, while about 20 percent of Americans are Hispanic.
The unemployment rate for Hispanics in the labor force is 6.4 percent, according an Associated Press tally.
But the BLC said the number is still high.
In 2016, the Bureau estimated that 11.4 of the population was Hispanic.
In 2020, the BLI estimated that the number was just under 15.2 million.
About 2.5 percent of all Hispanics in jobs were in occupations that did not require a high school diploma, compared with 2.7 percent of whites.
For those working in low-wage occupations, unemployment rates for Hispanics were about 14.6 percent.
Hispanics make up just 1.9 percent of workers in manufacturing, 2.6 in construction and 1.6 for service-industry jobs, according BLS data.
For the first time, the Hispanic unemployment rate is at 7.3 percent, up from 6.6.
“Our job-seeking population is also growing, and this means the labor market for Hispanic workers is expanding at a faster pace than the labor pool of the whole country,” said Brian M. Lee, an economist at the BSL, in a statement.
The BLS did not say when or how many jobs are expected to open.
A study released in April said the labor-force participation rate among Hispanics, who make up almost a quarter of the nation’s population, will reach a peak in 2019.
It is currently at about 65 percent, down from a high of 72.6% in 2008.
The Hispanic population was the largest racial group in the workforce in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but has grown slowly.
It now accounts for about 12 percent of U.s. workers, according a BLS report.
In 1990, the unemployment rate was 8.1 percent for Hispanics, while in 2016, it was 8 percent.
The employment-population ratio for Hispanics was 4.5 to 1 in 2015, compared to 4.9 to 1 for whites.
The labor force participation rate for Latinos was about 63 percent in 2016.
In the mid-1990s, the share of Hispanics working in the private sector fell from 14.4 to 11.2 percent.
By 2020, it is expected it will fall to 7.4%, according to the BLSS.
About half of Hispanic immigrants, roughly 5 million people, were employed in the public sector in 2020, according Census Bureau data.
About one-third were in jobs that required a high-school diploma or less, compared from 30.5% in 2000.
Hispanics are the largest immigrant group in jobs.
The share of Hispanic workers in low wage occupations is down, but still higher than the national average.
In 2021, low-paying jobs account for 11.9 million, compared the national unemployment rate of 6.3.
Hispanics comprise 12.9% of all working-age adults, according census data.
In 2035, they will make up 12.5%, according Census data.
Hispanic households have seen their median household income rise over the last decade, while the overall poverty rate has decreased, according Bureau of Justice Statistics data.
