The COVID pandemic has affected all of us in epic proportions over the last two years, both health-wise and economically. As we welcome in 2022, the virus still lingers and the future remains uncertain, especially for 63 million Hispanic Americans.
Due to a lack of virus testing in underserved barrios and the language issues in many cases, illness have hit Hispanics harder than any other minority group. The double whammy is that restrictions and mandates have shut down hotels, restaurants, bars and other service industry jobs traditionally held by Latinos. As a result, unemployment has been as high as 16.7 percent. In fact, according to Pew research, 45 percent of Latino households lost at least one wage earner to layoffs or termination during the pandemic squeeze.
There will always be hotels and restaurants because folks love to travel and dine out. Then again, the overall recovery is sketchy at best. That’s why wise Hispanics are moving on to a Plan B in job opportunities to better provide for their families. One popular “go to” staple has been the courier gig, aka Uber and Lyft plus private transportation package delivery with large companies like UPS. And as a last resort, Amazon is always hiring. These jobs have increased by 200 percent at the end of 2021. But does this type of employment really offer a better future than flipping burgers or cleaning hotel rooms?
“It’s fundamental that Latinos take advantage of the highest priority workforce needs,” notes Christian Ramirez, a prominent community activist in San Diego county.
The facts are that the open job market is more lucrative than it has been in the past five years, and Hispanics are competing on a much more level playing field. For example, police, fire departments and other first responders are actively searching for bilingual personnel across the southwest. These are good paying jobs for civic minded men and women who want to make a difference in the lives of others. If that’s not to your liking, physician assistants, nurses and medical technicians are skilled positions that have spiked up to 135 percent in immediate hires. Vocational schools like Pima Medical Institute, with campuses in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, can give you hands on training in six to nine months and can assist with employment leads.
Latinos are also cashing in on the internet, especially if you are social media savvy and have a particular expertise. Krystal Lora is a Dominican American YouTube star with over 300,000 subscribers who reviews the latest Apple and Google products for her growing reading audience. Omar Gonzalez is a Puerto Rican professional photographer who supplements his income by reviewing hi-tech cameras and has over 120,000 followers. There is also a huge market targeting millions of young Spanish-speaking YouTube fanatics, mostly university students. And if actual positions in the IT field is your goal, there are a multitude of positions available, with many of online courses to help with certification.
Ramirez, the San Diego activist, is an avid advocate of renewable energy and environmental protection, and points to “green” jobs as a new wave of opportunity. A good source of information on this subject is the Green Jobs Network, where numerous listings from the ground up are posted.
While many of the above occupations require technical preparation, scholarships and grants are available, particularly for minority or low income students. What’s extremely critical however, is the eventual passing of Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill. While we are mindful of rising inflation in a weak economy due to COVID mandates, it is essential that this bill be accepted by the Senate. Even in a watered down form, this legislation provides additional funding for educational advancement in all areas and ages, something our country has been lacking compared to other nations in the industrialized world.
Hang on, everybody. There should be light at the end of the tunnel in 2022.
