Did You Know That Latinas Are Leaving The Job Market At Higher Rates Than Other Demographics
A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs in December alone. But the latest numbers also revealed that Latinas are exiting the workforce at higher rates than any other demographic, which economists are really concerned about.
The research was released around about the same time that another report, by Russell Reynolds Associates, found that Black technology workers face professional barriers that lead to shorter average tenures than technology workers of other racial backgrounds.
Russell Reynolds found that Black tech workers moved between employers every 3.5 years in order to advance, whereas non-Black tech workers did the same every 5.1 years on average.
But to our readers, this may not necessarily come as a surprise particularly those in the STEAM sectors. This is because we know that the US has a long history of a lack of diversity in the tech, engineering, and science sectors.
The lack of diversity, microaggressions, and promotions could lead to frustrations in the workplace and therefore leave Latinas looking for opportunities elsewhere.
One such example is Latinx Erika Cruz, who just left her six-figure tech job as it simply became unfulfilling. The thought of resigning was sparked while making TikTok videos, and she became the founder of Purpose Driven Latina.
“My account just kind of blew up,” she said. “Once I decided to leave, I had already had one successful round of my group coaching program, Purpose Driven Latina, and my work at that point was almost taking me away from this passion project.”
Cruz said her decision came with sacrifices, like moving in with her mom, who lost house cleaning jobs during the pandemic
Covid-19 and its economic and educational fallout have had a disproportionate impact on communities of color and have highlighted and exacerbated longstanding racial and ethnic inequities in the U.S.
This could be another factor that may lead people from the community to leave their work environment to focus more on the family.
The University of California, Los Angeles’s Latino Policy and Politics Initiative found that between March 2020 and March 2021, the number of Latinas in the workforce dropped by nearly 3%.
“Some of our most insightful and critical workers are going to be left out of the labor force and it’s going to be detrimental to all Americans,” said Sonja Diaz, founding executive director of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Personal finance expert Jully-Alma Taveras told Fox19 that more and more Latina clients are coming to her, wanting to create “job-exiting plans.”
“When we think about equal pay, Latinas are not making anywhere near that full dollar,” she said. “We’re talking about 57 cents to every white man’s dollar. So, it’s really tough for I think Latinas to kind of stick around.”
