TAMPA, Fla. — The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that Latino unemployment has steadily climbed since September of last year.
In May of this year, Latina women had an unemployment rate of 3.4%. In four months, it's jumped to 4.3%. Another thing that's not keeping up is wages.
Knowing you're getting paid less than your coworkers who are doing the same job with the same experience is a feeling Liceth Luna knows all too well.
“I was a bit angry and sad at the moment because I was like, I’m here doing the job that I wasn’t hired to do, and I’m getting paid way less," Luna explained.
Luna isn’t alone, either. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, in 2022, Latinas working full-time year-round were paid 57.5 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. That’s a wage gap of nearly 43%.
“I couldn’t do much or say anything because he (would) just say, 'If you don’t want to do the job, then there is the door. You can walk out at any moment.' I couldn’t do that because I have two little girls that I have to provide for," Luna added.
That same study showed Latina women would have to work nine extra months just to make the same amount of money as their white male coworkers.
Enterprising Latina’s, a nonprofit in Wimauma, is working to change that.
"We start with workforce development training programs for women to develop the skills they need to obtain, you know, higher wages and jobs. We also do entrepreneurship training for women who want to create their own self-employment,” Ileana Cintron, Deputy Director, said.
Cintron said the pay gap not only affects Latinas and other women, it affects the economy.
"We're losing purchasing power and wealth building, you know, and asset building for all Latinas and all women in general,” Cintron explained.
Meanwhile, unemployment rates showed Latino unemployment going up while others trended down.
One economist we spoke with said that could just mean more people are looking for work, which is a positive sign for the economy.
"It's a sector of the economy that tends to attract more minorities, more Latin Americans, disproportionately. And, so, when we have that industry of hiring, and individuals who are counted as not in the labor force, now all of a sudden become unemployed, that's going to make the unemployment number go up,” Economist at USF, Michael Snipes, added.
As a working mom of two, Luna said she’s teaching her children to speak up until changes are made.
"To not stay quiet, like I have before, and keep pushing and fighting for their rights,” Luna said
