HispanicVista Columnists
Gap Between Income and Buying Power for Latinos
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By
Domingo
Ivan
Casañas/HispanicVista.com - August 22, 2005
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- Domingo Ivan Casañas is a Contributing Columnist for HispanicVista.Com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/). Domingo was born in Cuba and is a Proud United States of America Citizen. Domingo is the Author of: CUBA THE TARNISHED PEARL, you may read excerpts of his book at: http://www.cubanbook.com/ You may email Domingo at: LatinoAchievers@aol.com Domingo also writes Faith Page articles and is available for speaking engagements
Since there is a larger base when it comes to the population increase of Hispanics especially in California we would think that the economy would be getting a big boost from the Latino/Hispanic population.
A recent study by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia did find that the Latinos’ buying power is almost double the rate of the non-Latinos. It estimated that the buying power just in California would reach an estimated $260 billion in four years. The growth is certainly there. However, what we need to realize is that the census data of 2000 showed nearly 54 percent of Hispanic households had four or more people, compared with 31 percent for the general population.
Yes! The Latino population likes to make more babies it seems, however the Hispanics’ per capita income (the amount of money taken in per household member- was less than two-thirds that of the general population in 2000, which unfortunately is about the same gap it was in 1980. So the population increase has been the adding of people who are barely making anything. Especially in the 18- county Central Valley.
Here in our community we tend to see much of this. For instance, for Maria Torres of Brentwood, who helps the family out by working at a fast-food restaurant and only making the minimum wage the numbers I just mentioned show why they are the way they a minimum wages, jobs that don’t pay well because for many Latinos that are over 25 years old more than a third of them have less than a ninth-grade education in the 2000 census, and less than half had made it all the way through high school.
Retailers are certainly in a position to take advantage of our growth. Latinos do like to buy in large quantities. But what can be done about the jobs that many are getting? In my opinion I can only see that Latinos in general need to go back to school.
Education,trade schools, is the answer to moving up to the next economic level. A local campaign for higher education needs to be implemented in order to reach the goal. Retailers and financial institutions need the Hispanic population, and the Hispanic population needs to open their horizons and qualify them to the next higher paying level. Latinos don’t need a handout; they need education so that they can do more for themselves and their families.
So how then can we get them to first learn English and then get an education or a job training program that will enable them to get a better job? The answer is not a simple one. Is there a possibility for the Latino’s that are already well educated, know the English language and have very good jobs to come to their aid? Let’s ponder on this for a little bit and look at what actually happens.
In the city that I live in at the nearby Home Depot many Latinos from their Teens to age 50 stand around from 7:30 am till noon waiting on someone to offer them a job for the day. In many instances, since I did ask these workers many are given a job by a landscaper, a construction company, etc. In many instances the people that are hiring for the day are Latino’s themselves. When I asked the workers who tends to at times take advantage of them they mentioned to me that is us the Latinos and Samoans that at times leave them stranded without pay after they complete their job or will over work them.
So if there is going to be any change in getting our Latino community up to par in pay, it is going to have to happen from within the individual self. The Latinos must start creating and inventing opportunities for themselves. But instead of thinking small, we need to think BIG.. It can happen and education and educating will help the Latino community move to a higher level than what they currently are in. By creating and inventing the possibilities and opportunities from within and stop living in the past failures we should start seeing some new statistics in the near future that will confirm that our time has come and we have finally arrived when it comes to our buying power and our income.
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Domingo Ivan Casañas is currently a column writer for HispanicVista.com and several local newspapers in his hometown Antioch, California. He is an American citizen and a proud single father of three. Cuba: The Tarnished Pearl is his first published book but definitely not his last.
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