'¡¡Jorilattò OOhseruer CAREER
May 23. 2007
s p e c ia l e d itio n
Page B3
E d u c a tio n
Hard Work, Education Help Hispanics Advance
a
Jobs swell with
population gains
P amela F errara
O regon E mployment
D epartment
by
A young Hispanic
male organizes
the shelves o f a
warehouse where
he works. Census
20 00 data re­
vealed that 80
percent of His­
panic men are in
the labor force.
Photo by Guion
Wyler, U.S. Cen­
sus Bureau.
Ignacio Elizarraga, a welder,
husband, and father, has been a
part of Oregon's workforce for
15 years. Laura Galaviz, mother,
grandmother, and recent retiree,
worked here for more than 30.
Elizarraga left Mexico in
1988. He worked as a laborer
for a California trucking com­
pany until he moved to Oregon
in the 1990s. Galaviz was born
in Washington in the late 1940s
to migrant Mexican parents.
One of 14 children, she spent
her summers working in the
fields with her parents.
Elizarraga and Galaviz are
just two of the thousands of
Hispanics who have changed
the face of Oregon’s workforce
over the last 20 years. The His­
panic labor force - and popula­
tion - have grown.
Hispanic unemployment rates
are now closer to those for the
labor force as a whole, with
differences by educational at­
tainment.
In July 2003, some 326,361
Hispanics lived in Oregon, ac­
cording to the U.S. Census Bu­
reau. The state's Hispanic popu­
lation grew by 7 1 percent from
1980 to 1990, 144 percent from
1990 to 2000. and nearly 20
percent from 2000 to 2003.
The largest numbers of His-
panics live in Oregon's most
populous counties - Washing­
ton, M ultnom ah, M arion.
Clackamas, and Lane.
Births in the United States
will outpace immigration as
the key source o f Hispanic
population growth, according
to a 2003 study by the Pew
Hispanic Trust. Children now
being born in the United States
to Hispanic parents - includ­
ing G alaviz's four grandchil­
dren and Elizarraga’s 6-month-
old daughter - will begin hav­
ing theirow n children in about
20 years. At that point, the
larg e st co m p o n e n t o f the
nation's Hispanic population
will be U.S. born. This will
hold true in Oregon as well,
according to George Hough of
Portland State U niversity's
Population Research Center.
In 2003, H ispanics were
nearly 10 percent of the Oregon
labor force, up from 3 percent in
1990, and short of the 13 per­
cent Hispanic labor force na­
tionwide. Oregon’s Hispanic-
labor force grew almost three
times as fast as the nation's,
from 49,000in 1990to 18 1,(MM)
in 2003 - a 269 percent in­
crease. The fastest growth
came in the 1990s.
“M y goal is to be a fie ld surveyor ”
S u m m er classes start J u n e 2 5 th.
con I in ued
Get Ready for the Real World
Career guide
has tips for
women of color
A new book, "Embracing the
Real W orld: The Black
Woman's Guide to Life After
College," has been published for
African American women mak­
ing the often challenging transi­
tion from college to the profes­
sional workforce.
Written by Chaz Kyser, a
journalism instructor at Langston
University in Oklahoma, the
book will help you have a better
chance of success upon enter­
ing the workforce. The infor­
mation is based off Kyser's ex­
periences, those of other col­
lege graduates, the insight of
employers and tons of research.
Readers will get schooled on
everything from applying and
interviewing for jobs, succeed­
ing in a new position, choosing
where to live, handling conflicts
with co-workers, managing their
boss, networking effectively.
Em bracing
11 R e a l World
Chaz Kyser
budgeting, negotiating their sal­
ary, and coping with job loss.
But what sets this book apart
from others on the market is
that it’s specifically written for
black women and covers topics
that most career-related books
ignore.
"One of the problems with
the average career guide is that
it doesn't discuss sensitive top­
ics or issues pertinent to people
of color," Kyser said. "My book
gives informative, inspirational
and candid advice on how to
succeed in corporate America,
handle racial and sex discrimi-
nation in the workplace, build a
positive image and free oneself
from self-doubt and the fear of
failure.”
The book also features es­
says from successful black
women on a variety of topics
and a detailed resource guide.
"Embracing the Real World:
The Black Woman's Guide to
Life After College" can be pur­
chased for $14.99 plus tax and
shipping/handling off of the
book's
w ebsite:
embracingtherealworld.com.
A collective
effort
At OnPoint Community Credit Union, the services we provide to both our employees and members
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financial services to over 180,000 members. And together, our membership and dedicated employees
proudly reflect the cultural diversity o f the greater Portland area. It’s a com m itm ent to comm unity
that begins w ith our own home Our collaborative workplace celebrates all the qualities that make
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your life outside of work. Your work, our team...a collective effort indeed. Currently, we have the
following opportunities:
Member Relationship Officers * Member Service Specialists • Tellers
For complete jo b descriptions and to apply, please visit wrww.onpointcareers.com
Equal O pportunity Employer
e
OnPoint
C O M M U N IT Y C RFD IT U N IO N
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