Pedro Rodríguez says that when he returned to his job as a cook at a fried chicken restaurant in Los Angeles, after two months of no income due to COVID-19, he felt like a fish returning to the sea.
“I suffered a lot to pay the rent; And the truth is that I feel very lucky because right now there is a lot of demand for work and little employment ”, says Pedro, who was unemployed from the end of March to the end of May.
A report on employment and Latinos from the organization UnidosUS, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza, for the month of August, revealed that Unemployment among Latinos due to the coronavirus pandemic remains high at a rate of 10.5%.
“Growth continues to slow for the second month in a row for the hotel industry, where Latinos are disproportionately represented,” the report states.
And he adds that this uneven recovery is what is contributing to the still high number of Latinos in unemployment for the month of August.
At the same time, the retail industry saw slower growth than the hotel and leisure sector.
“With 18% of Latinos working in the retail industry, this growth is still good.”
Currently, according to UnidosUS, there are 13.5 million unemployed people in the country, 3 million are Latino.
“Unemployment among Latinos remains high, but not as high as in March and April. At this time, for the month of August, the highest unemployment rate is occupied by African Americans with 13% and Asians with 10.7%”Says Meggie Weiler, US Economic Policy Analyst.
He attributes unemployment among Latinos to the impact that the health crisis has left on the service industry, where 24% of Latinos work.
And it regrets that the loss of permanent jobs continues to rise.
“Since July, 534,000 jobs have been permanently lost, adding to the 2.1 million jobs that have vanished since February.”, It indicates.
It is anticipated that because businesses continue to be closed or working at limited capacity, the number of permanent jobs lost could grow in the fall.
Pedro Rodríguez says that he is taking care of his work as much as he can, knowing how difficult it is to place himself in the labor market in times of the coronavirus.
“I am not exaggerating when I say that if I am asked to work on my knees, I will. Faced with so much need for work, the bosses have the upper hand ”, says this immigrant of Mexican origin, who reveals that every day when he arrives at the restaurant where he works, he is not allowed to step inside without first taking his temperature and being subjected to an exhaustive and long questioning on the state of his health and his social relationships to see if he has not been exposed to the virus.
Based on the report, UnidosUS calls on Congress to support workers who have lost their jobs, extending the $ 600 unemployment assistance, but also to remove the barriers workers face when trying to obtain benefits. .
The $ 600 support for the unemployed ended in July along with other protections.
UnidosUS released the case of Jazmin, a janitor in the northern California city of San José whose working hours were cut in half and decided to file for unemployment.
Despite numerous attempts, the janitor was unable to file her unemployment claim. She was also unable to speak to a representative from the Employment Department, and after a month she has still not been able to apply for unemployment benefits.
He has had no choice but to continue with his part-time job, while supporting the teaching on-line of their children.
It took Regina, who also works as a janitor, two months to start receiving unemployment benefits.
UnidosUS urges Congress to pass the Heroes Act bill that would provide support to Latino families and states.
“Every day that Congress does not pass a measure to protect workers and their families, the lives and livelihoods of thousands continue to deteriorate,” they say.
They emphasize that Congress must act now and ensure that any proposal expands access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines regardless of migration status. But also to provide financial relief to families with mixed immigration status, and ensure that Latinos and other communities facing the brunt of the virus are protected and supported.
