Does Being Latino Help or Hurt Hispanic Millennials at Work? [INSIGHT]

When Hispanic young adults think about their experiences in the working world, do they feel that being Latino is an advantage or disadvantage?

Tr3s asked Hispanics ages 19-34 this question as part of its new 2014 project, “Hispanic Millennials at Work and Play.” Here are key findings:

7 in 10 say being Latino helps them at work. Most feel that being Hispanic is a benefit in the workplace. Both genders, as well as the 19-29 and 30-34 age segments, agree with this sentiment at about the same rate. Foreign-born Hispanics believe being Latino helps them more than those born in the US, however (78% of foreign-born agree, vs.  66% of US-born).

Being able to speak Spanish with customers is the main benefit. Among Hispanic Adult Millennials who feel that being Latino helps them at work, two-thirds say knowing Spanish helps them communicate with customers and clients who speak the language. This benefit is more pronounced among the US-born segment (71% agree, vs. 56% of foreign-born), as well as females (71% agree, vs. 62% of males).

Identifying with customers through a shared cultural background is the top benefit for Spanish speakers.  Among foreign-born/Spanish-dominant Hispanics who think being Latino is an advantage, 6 in 10 believe the shared background is important. (Just 4 in 10 US-born Hispanics agree.) In all, just under half of Hispanic Adult Millennials see identifying with customers or clients through shared background as a benefit.

Being able to connect with coworkers is a secondary advantage. 4 in 10 say knowing Spanish helps them communicate with their colleagues at work. A third believe their cultural background helps them identify with coworkers. This sentiment was much higher among males (40%) than females (26%).

1 in 5 say that being Latino has hurt them at work. This feeling was more predominant among the foreign-born/Spanish-dominant segment (28%) than US-born (18%), and more among males (23%) than females (17%).

Stereotypes and prejudice are the main ways they feel being Latino has hurt them at work. Younger Hispanic Millennials (ages 19-29) and those born in the US are most likely to have this sentiment.

Nancy Tellet, SVP of Consumer Insights and Research for Tr3s and Viacom Latin America and Canada, will be presenting “Hispanic Millennials at Work and Play” for the first time at the AHAA (Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies) conference in Miami on Tuesday, April 29th, 2014.

Source: Tr3s “Hispanic Millennials at Work and Play,” 2014