The Hispanic community is rapidly growing in the past few years. In fact, the United States Census Bureau stated that they now constitute around 25% of the American workforce. But however their number is increasing, they still face extra challenges like discrimination and unequal treatment especially in the workplace. It is very important to address these concerns of the Latinos to help improve their productivity, safety and understanding of their jobs.
Safety Problems in the Workplace
One of the challenges that Hispanics face at work is their safety. According to the Census of Fatal Occupational injuries, there is a high number of Latino laborers in jobs that involve high risks of bodily harm and injuries. Examples of these jobs are in farms and construction. The good news is that there is a decline in the rate of injuries happening in the workplace today. What’s alarming is that there is also an increase in the number of Hispanics employed in such jobs and that means that more of them are in risk of being injured or harmed.
Problem of Discrimination
Most Hispanics are being discriminated at work. Some areas of the country have a higher rate of discrimination problem as compared to others. This may be inflicted by the authority at work or simply by their co-workers. One of the factors that have triggered discrimination to be a serious issue is the focus on illegal immigration. Americans react negatively to Latinos because of this political issue even though they haven’t committed such crime. To alleviate the problem of discrimination at the workplace, employers should conduct diversity trainings and workshops that will help promote tolerance and understanding among all their employees.
Lack of Education
One of the biggest challenges that Hispanics face is their lack of education. Because many of them weren’t able to complete college let alone high school, this hinders them from getting a good-paying job. This is why they engage in high-risks jobs because they couldn’t qualify for better ones. Nationally, almost half of the Hispanic children entering kindergarten are unprepared for reading exercises. Latino students have very low percentage of proficiency as compared to whites and Asians. First generation Hispanics came to the country with most of them unable to receive any formal form of education. Their inability to speak good English is another barrier that they face at work. Without the necessary language and educational requirements, majority of the Hispanic community many never get a high-income job.