Profiling Profiling United States of America’s United States of America’s

Growing Hispanic PopulationGrowing Hispanic PopulationDr. Jorge H. Atiles, PhDDr. Jorge H. Atiles, PhD

Associate Dean for Outreach and Extension

The University of GeorgiaCollege of Family and Consumer

Sciences

Population GrowthPopulation Growth

• Hispanics -- the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States of America and they account for more than 12 percent of the total US population.

• In the last decade alone, the Hispanic population grew by nearly 60 percent. In GA it grew by 300%!

Expansive GrowthExpansive Growth• This unprecedented

growth and its current size is largely attributable to high immigration and birth rates.

• If current patterns persist, there will be over 100 million Hispanics living in the United States by the year 2050

StereotypesStereotypes

Many Americans stereotype Hispanics as an impoverished and “illegal” group of immigrants with a different language, culture, and history. Hispanics are a diverse group of immigrants and Native (US Born) Americans.

Diversity

Diversity

Diversity

Future of HispanicsFuture of Hispanics

• Hispanics represent one of the fastest growing segments of the US population

• In the future, their presence will exert a great influence on politics, business, religion, the allocation of governmental tax generated resources, school curriculums, medical care, public safety and housing.

•The majority of Hispanics living in the United States are not immigrants; they were born here.

•Approximately 60% of Hispanic Residents are US Citizens by birth

Hispanic vs. Latino?Hispanic vs. Latino?

• Hispanic refers to people whose native language is Spanish or who are descendants of Spanish speaking ancestors.

• Latino is generally used to describe US residents of Latin American origin, regardless of their native language.

• Hispanic/Latino is neither a racial nor ethnic category.

Hispanic Population SizeHispanic Population Size

• More than 35 million people in the US identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino.

• This underestimates their true size since they are more likely to be undercounted, or missed in the US census.

• This is due to a bias on the part of many agencies.

Growth PatternsGrowth Patterns

Hispanic Population in the United States is between 36 and 47 million (US Census Bureau 2004)

Migration TrendsMigration Trends

• Hispanics have traditionally congregated in California, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, New York, and Illinois

• However, in the 1990’s Hispanics began migrating to the South, particularly Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Urban vs. RuralUrban vs. Rural • There is a tendency to stereotype Hispanics as rural but

Hispanics are considerably more urban than the rest of the US population.

• Only about 10 percent of Hispanics live outside of metropolitan areas, while almost a quarter of non-Hispanics do.

• Within these urban areas, Hispanics are likely to hold lower-wage jobs in construction, retail trade, and service.

• Suburban counties surrounding major cities have attracted substantial numbers of Hispanics due to the labor needs associated with the construction and landscaping industry.

Education TrendsEducation Trends• The Hispanic population in the USA

generally has low levels of education.

• Hispanics are less likely than non-Hispanic Blacks, Whites, or Asians to stay in high school or enroll in college.

• 43 percent of Hispanics 25 and older did not have a high school education compared with 15.9% for the general population in 2000.

Contributing FactorsContributing Factors

• Limited English Fluency• Different orientation towards

education to complete high school or attend college

• Discrimination against minorities• Cost- With 20% of Hispanics living

at or below poverty level, few can afford the cost of college and instead, work.

Income BarriersIncome Barriers

• Educational attainment • Occupation• Age• Immigration Status• Wage discrimination

Immigration IssuesImmigration Issues

Develop a coherent immigration policy tailored to the unique situation occurring along the US-Mexican border

• WHAT TO THINK ABOUT:– Guest Worker Visas– Computerized Registration– Monitoring and Tracking all foreign visitors– Amnesty– Driver Licenses for foreign nationals– English vs Spanish language policies– Education– Medical– Unemployment– Social Security

Immigration IssuesImmigration Issues

What should be the USA policy on foreign labor be?WHAT TO THINK ABOUT:

– Global competitiveness and Labor shortages (nurses)

– US quality of life: Costs for our goods and services

– Economic vs. Geo-political borders– Migrant labor: High vs. low skilled– Portable skills and higher education– Portable benefits to ensure temporary migration:

health, retirement, SS, etc.– Brain drain and brain gain– Reverse Development: Developing nations

subsidizing the development of 1st world nations– Labor and human rights

THIS IS AN ECONOMIC BASED IMMIGRATION!

Not unique to the USA

Insert itself in the Economic and Political Context of Society

USA in a Global Economy

• CON side: Pass legislation to tackle the elimination of public spending for “illegal” immigrants. WHY DO WE HAVE “ILLEGAL” WORKERS?

Business OpportunitiesBusiness Opportunities According to a recent report from the UGA,

Hispanic buying power will grow by 45% between 2004-2009

• GA 2nd fastest rate (56%) of Hispanic-owned businesses, after NY. GA is 3rd in Hispanic buying power (10.6 bill in 2005).

• Develop competitive market strategies that target Hispanics

• Create Learning and Entrepreneurial Programs

USA in a Global Economy

• PRO side: Need to compete and decide if it will rely on foreign laborState & County

Economic outlook

Pro side: What Georgia is Doing About Trade

• Attracting consulates• Increasing trade

– Mexico is GA’s 3rd largest export market• Pre-NAFTA exports (1993) = $411 million • 2004 Georgia exports to Mexico = $1.5 billion• 90,000 more jobs related to Mexican exports since NAFTA

(globalatlanta.com)

• Multinational Companies– In Mexico: Over 60 GA companies (Delta, Georgia

Pacific, Coca Cola, Turner Broadcasting)– In Georgia: 7 Mexican companies

Opening, Increasing Outreach

• Delta and others are offering direct flights to more Latin American countries

Source: www.globalatlanta.com

THE OUTLOOK: CAFTA-DR:How Georgia May Benefit

• Increased trade

• Increased investment – Foreign investment in GA

• Tap into rural Hispanic buying power

– Investment abroad

• Create more jobs

• Expand agricultural exports

Global Finances

• Georgia is one of the country’s biggest remittance senders—81% of Hispanics in GA send regularly

• GA sent $947 million in remesas (2004)• $2,743—average annual remittances

per adult immigrant (4th highest in the country)

• Directo a MéxicoSM

Source: www.iadb.org

Global Competitiveness:Education, Training and

Life Skills• Fight poverty: Job Training that

encourages growth and development, not dead-end jobs

• Computer Literacy• Basic oral and written communication

skills• Basic understanding of money and

personal finance• Encourage leadership and cooperation

from public and private sectors• Higher Education opportunities

Rural Georgia: ItsKnowledge so far

What is your role?

What do you know?

What don’t you know?

What should you really know?

Education Agenda

• Globalize our curriculum at K-12 level– Incorporate cultural differences in our teaching

lessons– Think beyond the state and U.S. borders; use

examples for other places, prepare the students to think globally

• Cultural Skills for our Workforce– Incorporate culturally enriched programs– Cultural training and study abroad– Family relations

Understand

• The social & economic value of Latino immigrants to US society and economy…and sending nations.  

• Too many myths, we do not have a clear answer as to how much they contribute versus how much they "take" out of the US economy. 

• This Economic Impact is being researched in light of the political issues that are fueling an anti-immigrant environment.

• For Example:– USDA’s William Kundel found that the meat-

processing industry is switching to lower skilled labor and increasingly relocating plants to rural areas.

– Hispanics are moving into the meat-processing labor force and helping to meet demand for low-skill workers.

– Hispanic immigration mitigates rural population decline and stimulates local economies.

Research Agenda

• The reality of other immigrant related issues:  labor mobility, human trafficking, etc. Study how other countries are dealing with this.

• Update on family and consumer needs of this population, how can FACS teaching and extension support these.

Research Agenda

Outreach Agenda • What are others doing (best practices) and

where are the gaps in outreach education

• Identify the best education efforts for the diverse groups of Latinos: a review

• Overcoming the barriers/issues of educating undocumented Latinos

• Educating and training local officials and civic leaders

Outreach Agenda

• Cultural competencies.

• What are the potential political and economic costs?

• Globalization: our future in a world that may be “flat.” What do we need to do NOW to address issues in 2020?