Hispanic Economics

Characteristics of Mexican and Caribbean Hispanics

The Hispanic presence in the United States arises from two distinct patterns: immigration from the Caribbean island nations; and Mexican Hispanics, many of whom settled in what is now the United States prior to the Mexican-American War, and most of whom are engaged in crossing borders that crossed them.

In the case of California, as Kevin Starr, state librarian and author of cultural histories of California, described the ascendance of Hispanics in that state, “The Anglos hegemony was only an intermittent phase in California’s arc of identity, extending from the arrival of the Spanish. The Hispanic nature of California has been there all along, and it was temporarily swamped between the 1880s and the 1960s. But that was an aberration. This [Census 2000 report] is a reassertion of the intrinsic demographic DNA of the longer pattern, which is part of a California-Mexico continuum.” The following descriptions of the two distinct characteristics of U.S. Hispanics are compiled from various sources.

The Mexican Hispanic

• 77% of U.S. Hispanics can trace their ancestry to Mexico.

• These Hispanics are primarily of European (Spanish) and indigenous (Native American) ancestry.

• Most have not graduated from college.

• Most are not fully bilingual.

• Most are hourly employees.

• Most live west of the Mississippi, with clusters in New York, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina.

• Racially, Mexican Hispanics are brown (mestizo).

The Caribbean Hispanic

• 17% of U.S. Hispanics can trace their ancestry to Puerto Rico, Cuba, or the Dominican Republic.

• These Hispanics are primarily of European (Spain and Italy) and African ancestry.

• Most have post-high school education (community college course) or college degrees.

• Most are bilingual.

• Many occupy salaried and management positions.

• Most live east of the Mississippi, primarily in the New York/New Jersey–Florida corridor.

• Racially, Caribbean Hispanics are black or white.

Louis E. V. Nevaer

Excerpted with permission from, Managing Hispanic and Latino Employees: A Guide to Hiring, Training, Motivating, Supervising, and Supporting the Fastest Growing Workforce Group, which can be ordered by clicking on the image to the left.

About this book:

Hispanics are the largest minority group and the fastest growing demographic in the United States. But their supervisors are often non-Hispanics who do not understand how they see the business world and so are not able to work with their Hispanic employees effectively.  Drawing on his own ethnic background and years of experience as director of the organization, Hispanic Economics, Louis Nevaer identifies three overarching concepts that inform Hispanic culture and that often result in behaviors and beliefs very different than, and sometimes seemingly at odds with, those of non-Hispanics. Using a wealth of specific examples, Nevaer shows how an awareness of the importance of these concepts can help managers create a welcoming work environment, increase productivity and employee engagement, and develop a dynamic and committed Hispanic workforce. As Hispanics become an ever-larger segment of the workforce, organizations who fail to make them feel welcome and valued risk losing access to a significant source of talent and innovation.