In today’s workforce, bilingual, bicultural Latinos are in great demand.  Diversity is finally recognized as a necessary element for success in both the public and private sectors. 

Today’s global economy often requires interaction with associates from different backgrounds and people from around the world, so the ability to bridge different cultures is a valuable resource.  And perhaps most importantly, the explosive growth of Latino populations and increasing efforts to target and serve that market through business ventures in the US and around the world mean that bilingual and bicultural employees offer employers a very valuable asset. There are currently about 63 million Hispanics in the US, and over 560 million people who speak Spanish in the world. To stay competitive, most organizations have to find ways to reach out to some part of that audience. Over the last decade or so, they have realized that there is an untapped opportunity and market for their products and services right here in the US. The Hispanic population in the US is the largest and the fastest growing segment. The latest census reports estimate it at more than 19% of the total population.

Hispanic purchasing power is well over $1.9 trillion. Higher birth rates, continued immigration and a younger average age in the Latino population make this a very dynamic segment of the population.

Spanish is rapidly becoming our nation’s unofficial second language. The US Census reports that 42 million people over the age of 5 speak Spanish at home—that’s about 72% of the US Hispanic population! According to a recent study of the US Hispanic Market conducted by Strategy Research Corporation, 64% of Hispanics indicate that Spanish is the language they feel most comfortable speaking.

The majority of Hispanics born in the US also learn Spanish first (59%). While most of the US Hispanic population can also speak English well, the ability to speak the Spanish language and to communicate better culturally gives another entry point to this important population segment, particularly for those entities who deal with the public directly.

Even if the Hispanic client or customer’s English is fluent, at times they may be more comfortable dealing with certain transactions or personal matters in Spanish. This includes things like healthcare services and medical procedures, mental health counseling, banking, mortgage and loan information, automotive sales and service, insurance, tax consulting and real estate just to name a few.

Anytime you can establish a good rapport with a customer or associate your potential for sales and success improves markedly, so retail is also among the entities that can greatly benefit from having bilingual staff.

Many companies and organizations now offer customer service representatives, telephone assistance and printed information in Spanish and other languages. This can be found in government, telecommunications, banking, public utilities, non-profits and other such entities.

Bilingual opportunities are also good in areas like management, marketing, manufacturing, computers and technology, criminal justice and law enforcement, corrections, education, government agencies and many other fields.

The need for bilingual employees is growing all across the nation, as the Latino population disperses into more areas in the South and Mid-West, but demand remains especially intense in areas like California, Texas, Arizona, Florida, New York, Illinois and other areas with a high Hispanic population.

Diversity and inclusion is important in our society. Not because of diversity initiatives, quotas and equal opportunity standards, today diversity is a key to success for any organization. To be effective, the employee population must be representative of our diverse society. Inclusive marketing is the future. It is estimated that by 2050, one in three people in the U.S. will speak Spanish (this data includes bilingual people who also speak English).

Being bilingual and bicultural gives one the ability to see things from a different angle. It can also encourage analytical thinking, originality, innovation and can help provide better service. The ability to understand and bridge different cultural views is another invaluable asset. Without a doubt, these skills give you an edge over the competition.

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