Workforce Language Services

An article in the Chicago Tribune and another in the Washington Post detailed increasing unemployment rates for Latinos working in the construction industry.  Both articles shared stats found in a recently released report from the Pew Hispanic Center. 

Despite the rise in unemployment, Hispanic immigrants did not appear to be returning to their native countries in significant numbers. Those who have lost their jobs tend instead to seek other work in the United States, the report said.

“For now, at least, we do not find any signs that they are discouraged enough to go back home,” said Rakesh Kochhar, associate director of research at the Pew Hispanic Center and author of the report. “They are remaining active.”

The Washington Post article also mentions that Latinos are not sending as much money to their home countries as they once were, and currently only 50 percent of those surveyed were able to regularly send money home as opposed to 73 percent two years ago.