KPBS Midday Edition

What Inequities Do Latinas Face In San Diego's Workforce?

By Jade Hindmon / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Harrison Patiño / Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published July 12, 2021 at 1:34 PM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

In this March 2, 2021, file photo, a woman, wearing a protective mask due to the coronavirus, walks past the signs of an employment agency, in Manchester, N.H. A new report finds that Latinas have left the workforce at rates higher than any other demographic and also have had some of the highest unemployment rates throughout the pandemic.

Latinas in San Diego's workforce faced a disproportionately high number of obstacles in retaining or finding employment throughout the pandemic.

The pandemic brought on drastic changes to the American workplace, and in many cases, these changes prompted many to leave the workforce entirely.

Latinas have left the workforce at rates higher than any other demographic, and have had some of the highest unemployment rates throughout the pandemic according to UCLA research.

In response to this trend, the Kim Center for Social Balance surveyed members of MANA de San Diego and produced a Regional Report On the Status of Latinas in the Workplaces of San Diego County.

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Among the survey findings, 25% of respondents said they experienced a decrease in income during the pandemic, 31% said they feel their voices are heard less with workplace changes that resulted from the pandemic and 36% said discrimination affects their workplace creativity.

Hei-Ock Kim, Executive Director of the Kim Center for Social Balance, joined Midday Edition on Monday to talk about the implications of this report.