Make the Workforce Investment Act Work for Latinos: Principles for WIA Reauthorization

Publication Date: January 2009

Publisher: National Council of La Raza

Author(s): Catherine Singley; Catherine Singley

Research Area: Labor

Keywords: Disadvantaged youth; Economic inequality; limited-English-proficient (LEP); Hispanic population

Type: Report

Coverage: United States United States

Abstract:

The pending reauthorization of the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) comes at a pivotal moment: as the nation struggles through an economic recession, policymakers must rise to the challenge of restoring competitiveness to the American workforce. The stakes are especially high for the nation’s 22 million Latino workers, who represent the fastest-growing segment of the labor force. The current WIA system has failed to adequately serve Latinos, who continue to be more likely than any other group to earn low wages, remain without health insurance and retirement plans, and die from a work-related injury. The following principles should guide efforts to design WIA reauthorization policies.