ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) challenged the federal government and Corporate America to appoint more Latinos to higher positions at this year’s 81st Annual LULAC National Convention.
By the numbers, Latinos are the dominant minority group in the nation, totaling more than 15 percent of the population, a proportion that continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. However, Hispanics account for less than 13 percent of the total U.S. labor force and only six percent of 384 open board positions are held by Hispanics.
According to the latest data (2008) from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, less than eight percent of the federal personnel are Latino. Across the board, the feds have managed to achieve only 7.8 percent participation by Hispanics in the government workforce. And the news gets worse: Hispanic men and women today represent only 3.6 percent of individuals at federal senior pay levels — a proportion that drops to 2.5 percent when you take political appointees out of the calculation.
The Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility Corporate Inclusion Index (CII) yearly surveys demonstrate that Hispanics are still underrepresented on corporate boards and upper management positions at the largest corporations in the country.
Hispanics only hold 61 positions out of the 1,281 executive and director available positions, and Hispanics are still facing adversity in their salary when compared to non-Hispanics. The survey shows that on average, Hispanics are earning $12,000 less for a full-time position.