Latino Policy Institute: More training needed for growing Latino workforce

PROVIDENCE – When the “The State of Working Rhode Island 2015: Workers of Color,” report was released late last year, Anna Cano Morales used it to delve deeper and highlight issues facing Latinos in Rhode Island.
Morales, executive director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University, said in a telephone interview that the report revealed numerous details about the Latino workforce. To illustrate the issues facing the Latino population, the LPI released an infographic revealing employment and unemployment data, as well as information about wages, income and education.
For example, the Latino labor force is expected to more than double by 2040 to comprise 24 percent of the total Rhode Island labor force, and Morales said more education and training is needed to help workers compete.
Morales said that the Latino labor force had the largest growth among workers of color in Rhode Island between 2004 and 2014 – it increased to 11.6 percent from 8.4 percent, a 38 percent jump.
“The biggest takeaway for me was the increase. It was the largest growth among workers of color in Rhode Island. It’s a trend that we’re seeing in the rest of the New England states as well,” Morales said. “It bodes well for a regional or New England strategy.”
Data from the institute said the number of black and Asian workers has remained relatively stable.
Other infographic highlights:

  • Rhode Island is second only to Connecticut in New England in terms of the percent of the labor force that is Latino.
  • Latino workers are making significantly less than other groups at a median hourly wage of $12.45 compared with white workers, whose median hourly wage is $19.99.
  • The median household income for Latinos was $30,797 in 2014, compared with $61,406 for whites.
  • Twelve percent of Latinos have a bachelor’s degree, compared with 34 percent of white Rhode Islanders.
  • Thirty-eight percent of Latinos also lack a high school diploma, versus 11 percent of whites, marking the highest percentage of people lacking a high school diploma across all racial groups in New England.
  • The 2014 Latino unemployment rate in Rhode Island, at 16.2 percent, is higher than the Latino unemployment rate in New England at 11.4 percent, and that of the nation at 7.4 percent.

Morales said a meeting will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in partnership with the state Department of Labor and Training at the Statehouse with state officials to discuss issues facing Latinos. Elected officials, members of Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s cabinet, and local education, policy and community leaders have been invited.
Latinos, Morales said, have been affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs and “have not really adapted to new industries that have come to Rhode Island.” The LPI said manufacturing jobs decreased 19 percent from 2007 to 2014, leaving many Latinos unemployed, underemployed or stuck in part-time positions. That’s why access to higher education, mentors and additional training is needed, she said.

“Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in the state and will continue to make up a larger piece of Rhode Island’s labor force. We often celebrate progress in our workforce climate; for example, unemployment rates continue to go down in Rhode Island. However, when we put a magnifying glass to communities of color, the unemployment rates and wage gaps are unacceptably high. We need to create a climate that not only meets the needs of businesses but also meets the needs of our workers to access higher wage jobs as well as gaining access to emerging industries that offer upward mobility,” Morales said in a statement. “Our economy depends on our workforce. It’s critical that all workers and potential workers have the education, skillset and tools they need to compete.”

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