Providence Area Number 1 for Hispanic Unemployment
Monday, June 14, 2010
The urban corridor from Providence to New Bedford and Fall River has the highest Hispanic unemployment rate of any metropolitan area in the country, according to a new study.
“I feel it,” said Renee Fullerton, the jobs developer for Progreso Latino. “The same problems come up over and over and over again.”
The study, done by the Economic Policy Institute, found that 21.4 percent of the Hispanics in Providence, New Bedford, and Fall River were unemployed, compared to 10.1 percent of whites. The discrepancy between Hispanics and whites was the highest of the 50 metropolitan areas surveyed—a ratio of 2.1. While Rhode Island overall has the fourth highest unemployment rate, its capital city is first in Hispanic unemployment.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“I’m just surprised that we're number one,” said Mario Bueno, executive director of Progreso Latino.
The next highest ratio of Hispanic to white unemployment was in the area of Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ontario in California, where 17.3 percent of Hispanics were while 11 percent of white residents were out of work.
Why Is Hispanic Unemployment Higher?
More Hispanics work in the kinds of jobs that are being eliminated in the recession, according to Bueno. “Many of those people that work in these low-skilled jobs … are Latino and African American, so they are the first to go,” Bueno said. “They’ve been hit very hard.”
Hispanics who are laid off can find it difficult to find another job because they don’t speak English well or don't have a high school degree, Bueno said. Progreso Latino has a number of programs to help those who are struggling—everything from English classes and GED courses to computer instruction and a citizenship program. Progreso Latino currently has about 450 adult students enrolled in its programs.
The problem is exacerbated for immigrants from Central America, many of whom never finished school beyond the elementary level, according to Fullerton. She said Progreso Latino has developed a pre-GED program in Spanish to bring those immigrants up to an eighth-grade level of education.
How to Fix It
Progreso Latino is on the front lines of the battle to improve the lives of Hispanic Rhode Islanders—but it can’t do it alone. “It’s going to take the whole village,” Bueno said, pointing to state colleges, universities, and adult education programs as key allies. “They have their hearts and souls in this,” he said. “They want to be able to make Rhode Island a better place, but it’s going to take a lot of work.”
With the decline of manufacturing—a sector where many Hispanics worked, Bueno said Rhode Island is going to have to find a new industry that will rejuvenate its economy.
At one time people thought biotechnology was the answer, but now they’re looking at green, or renewable energy, Bueno said. “We’re looking around for the next industry that is going to drive our economy,” he said.
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