Detroit Future City’s (DFC) Center for Equity, Engagement, and Research has released a new brief titled “Prosperidad Económica: Education and Workforce for Detroit’s Latino/Hispanic Community.” The brief, released on July 23, 2024, builds on the findings of DFC’s 2021 report, “The State of Economic Equity in Detroit,” which “revealed that Latino/Hispanic Detroiters encounter challenges around economic well-being similar to those experienced by Black Detroiters, though challenges that are unique in their own right,” particularly “disparities in access to quality education and employment opportunities . . . exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic” (2). The 2024 brief uses data from the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to identify opportunity gaps faced by Latina/o Detroiters in education and employment and contextualizes these findings with national research and trends, as well as insights from a “research advisory group that works with, and reflects, the community” (2). What follows are key findings of the brief.

Educational Outcomes

In the area of educational outcomes for Latina/o Detroiters, the brief highlights disparities in English/Language Arts (ELA) proficiency and educational attainment, as well as a need for career and technical education (CTE). While third-grade ELA proficiency is widely understood as a critical early indicator of educational success, the brief notes that only 10% of Detroit’s Latina/o third graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 29% statewide. Further, while third-grade ELA proficiency dropped by 5% citywide between 2019 and 2022, Latina/o students saw a decline of 9%. The brief also notes a significant disparity in educational attainment for Latina/o Detroiters, with 45% of Latina/o Detroiters aged 25+ in 2022 having less than a high school diploma or equivalent, compared to only 17% for all students citywide and 23% of Latina/os statewide. Likewise, only 11% of Latina/o Detroiters in 2022 held a bachelor’s degree or higher, an achievement often linked to higher wages; comparatively, the citywide average in 2022 was 17% and for white Detroiters, it was 37%. Finally, according to Michigan Department of Education data, between 2019 and 2023, the completion rate of Latina/o Detroiters in CTE programs, which can provide pathways to well-paying skilled employment, dropped from 39% to 29%.

The Education-Workforce Connection

The brief also points to challenges Latina/o Detroiters face in the workforce, including wage gaps and disparities in labor force participation and year-round employment. It notes, for instance, that while Latina/o Detroiters without a bachelor’s degree earned $16 per hour on average in 2021, in keeping with the citywide average, those with a bachelor’s degree earned only $24 per hour, compared to the citywide average of $26 per hour and $29 per hour for white Detroiters. Latina/o Detroiters also lagged significantly behind Latina/os region-wide, who earned an average of $36 per hour. While Latina/o workforce participation in Detroit increased from 63% in 2017 to 66% in 2022, an increase of 3%, the participation rate for white Detroiters increased by 7% over the same period, from 62% in 2017 to 69% in 2022. Likewise, while Latina/o unemployment in Detroit fell from 15% in 2017 to 12% in 2022, they still lagged behind white Detroiters, whose unemployment rates were 11% in 2017 and 8% in 2022 (racial disparities in both workforce participation and unemployment were highest for Black Detroiters during this period). Finally, while Latina/o Detroiters in 2022 were employed in full-time jobs at a slightly higher rate than the citywide average—84% to 82%, respectively—they lagged in terms of year-round employment, with only 77% of Latina/os employed 48 weeks or more in the year, compared to 82% citywide. The types of jobs in which Latina/os were employed earned lower wages and had limited opportunities for advancement and access to benefits, with Latina/os in 2022 having the lowest rate of health insurance coverage (82% compared to 92% citywide).

Conclusion

The brief concludes by stressing the need to close achievement and opportunity gaps that negatively impact the city’s Latina/o community. Its authors state, “Improving educational outcomes for the future Latino/Hispanic workforce is critical to ensuring Latino/Hispanic Detroiters can compete and participate in the rapidly evolving job market, ensuring access to growth occupations and middle-class wage opportunities” (19). The following solutions are offered: “addressing existing disparities and investing in educational solutions”; “aligning education pathways and college majors to meet the demands of growing industries”; “improving access to, and outcomes of, job-training skills and workforce readiness programs”; “reducing unique barriers in opportunity and participation”; and “strengthening wraparound services” (19). Through its summation of challenges faced by Detroit’s Latina/o community and recommendations for action, the brief provides a valuable resource for city and state governments, as well as service providers and others seeking to advance economic equity for Latina/o Detroiters.