Hispanic Americans continue to make up a growing part of the nation’s construction workforce, accounting for an overall gain in the last decade of 1.2 million workers.
Those numbers have been compiled by the Silver Spring, Maryland-based CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training and show a growing participation rate in all sectors of the industry.
Hispanic worker numbers are particularly strong as in the laboring sector at more than 715,000. The second largest representation is seen in the carpenter sector, at around 350,000; followed by painters at 250,000.
The numbers continue to lag in leadership positions: Hispanics make up less than a quarter of the industry’s foremen, at 125,000, and construction managers at around 76,000.
New Mexico leads the nation with more than 60% of its construction workforce made up of Hispanics, followed by Texas at nearly 59%, and California with 52.7%.
While the leadership numbers may seem low, Hispanic construction firm ownership has nevertheless been on the rise, reports the National Hispanic Construction Association.
That group has reported that there are today well over 4.6 million Hispanic-owned companies. In a larger context, Hispanic owners make up around 14% of all business in the country, making up a better than 40% growth rate in the last decade.
Figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this fall now put the total Hispanic workforce at 29 million, a steady climb from where it stood in 1990 at 10.7 million.
The BLS further predicts that those numbers will climb to just under 36 million by the end of the decade.
Age is a factor: According to BLS economist Kevin Dubina, Hispanic workers “tend to be younger and in the prime age working group, 25 to 54 years old. The median age of Hispanics in the labor force is 38.5 compared with 42.0 for the entire population.”
By Garry Boulard