Presented by

THE WORKFORCE

Antonio Tijerino

president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation

“The service sector accounts for about 80% of the workforce, but
that’s what’s been hit hardest during COVID and it’s mostly
dependent on LatinX and other minorities.”

Leaders in the public and private sectors have been trying to plan the
future of America’s workforce for decades. Covid-19 certainly
complicated matters.

Big new questions have arisen: Where can employers find workers? How
do we train the next generation of workers? What can be done to
recruit employees of different backgrounds to new industries?

Enter: The Workforce. Punchbowl News’ effort to identify four
leaders who are focused on leading the country back to economic
stability and ensuring that a well-prepared workforce exists to
allow America to remain competitive. This week we are profiling Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

Presented By

At Walmart, we know that when associates have stability in areas like
health care, parental leave, paid time off and retirement planning,
they’re able to bring their best selves to work. That’s why we’re
proud to offer up to 6 weeks of paid parental leave to all salaried
and full-time hourly associates who have been at Walmart for at least
a year. That increases to up to 16 weeks for birth mothers. For
associates adopting a new family member, we provide up to $5,000 to
help cover expenses. Learn how we’re supporting associates and their
growing families.
Learn More

THE BACKGROUND

Antonio Tijerino didn’t always envision a career focused on
workforce issues. The Nicaragua native came to Washington, D.C. as a
child and studied journalism at the University of Maryland. He
worked at the PR agency Cohen & Wolfe, and then went to Nike and the
Fannie Mae Foundation to continue his work in public affairs.

But for the last 20 years, Tijerino has led the Hispanic Heritage
Foundation. The group, which originally was conceived during the
Reagan administration to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, has
grown under his leadership to encompass education, workforce, social
impact and culture. “My focus has truly been on accessing talent and
finding it at a very young entry point,” Tijerino said. He wants
young Latinos to be able to “identify, prepare and connect to each
other because social capital is so important.” With that guiding
principle, Tijerino’s emphasis has been on helping people break into
a variety of sectors from health care to data science and
entrepreneurship.

When considering the future workforce, Tijerino thinks the pathway
will go straight through Latinos. “Eighty percent of all new jobs will
go to Latinos,” he said, noting that the most common age for
non-Latinos is 58 years old compared to 11 years old for Latinos.
“It’s clear that the labor market and the broader economy is going to
be more dependent on our young dynamic population,” Tijerino said.
There’s a historical basis for this trend as well. “According to the
2021 US Latino GDP Report, Latinos contributed close to 75% of the
entire labor force expansion that has taken place since the Great
Recession of 13 years ago,” Tijerino noted.

Educational Attainment of Hispanic or Latino Workforce Aged 25 years
or Older, 2019

Source: BLS.Gov

27.7%

Less than a high school diploma

31.2%

High school graduates, no college

13.7%

Some college, no degree

8.1%

Associate’s degree

19.3%

Bachelor’s degree and higher

Current

Latino workers have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. The
service industry, which is largely dependent on Latino and other
minority workers, was forced to lay off tens of thousands of employees
as a result of local COVID ordinances. The numbers are staggering; 65
percent of Latinos have lost their jobs or had a significant reduction
of income, Tijerino said.

“It’s all about agility and adaptability around that vision that you
have to succeed or survive these days and as we deal with the
workforce … I believe that we need to adapt to the workforce, not the
other way around,” Tijerino said.

“It’s all about agility and adaptability around that vision that you
have to succeed or survive these days and as we deal with the
workforce … I believe that we need to adapt to the workforce, not the
other way around…”

– Antonio Tijerino,
President and CEO Hispanic Heritage Foundation

As part of that effort, Tijerino and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation
are working to introduce 100,000 Latino youths to coding. The
foundation is also working to create access to college and
entrepreneurship programs. They have organized workshops and provided
mentorship for people interested in blockchain, health care, data
science and artificial intelligence.

Tijerino also has a call to action for companies focused on workforce
issues. “If they use the same approach that they do when they are
creating their products to address these issues, we would be in a
better place,” he said. Overall, Tijerino stresses the importance of
urgent action when dealing with these issues in the public and private
sector. “I want to always stress that we need to be more impatient in
everything we do. I know it’s contrary, but we need to be more
impatient with our advocacy. We need to be more impatient with
preparing for the workforce of the future.”

Presented By

Walmart has a long history of providing comprehensive health care
and benefits to our associates. We believe that when associates have
stability in areas like health care, parental leave and paid time
off, they’re able to bring their best selves to work. For all
salaried and full-time associates who have been at Walmart for at
least 12 months, we offer up to 6 weeks of paid leave to new parents
through birth, adoption, or foster-care placement. New birthmothers
are eligible for up to 16 weeks of protected paid time away from
work. And we’ll also pay associates back, up to $5,000, for expenses
related to adopting a new family member.

We’re committed to supporting associates and their growing families.
Last year, nearly 30,000 associates took advantage of parental leave
and adoption benefits.
Learn More

PEOPLE TO WATCH

Chief Technology Community Officer at the Kapor Center

Lili Gangas

Gangas is working to make sure that the tech ecosystem and
entrepreneurship are more diverse and inclusive. She is
focused on racial justice and technology policy, inclusive
technology ecosystem building, and supporting the foundational
needs of communities of color. She is also prioritizing
broadband access and adoption, future workforce needs, and
responsible technology.

Executive Director of CSforALL

Leigh Ann DeLyser

DeLyser oversees programs and strategic planning focused on
building out programs for children ages K-12 in the computer
science field. She previously was a high school teacher and
higher education computer science education. DeLyser now puts
out an influential report — Running on Empty — that helps
inform policies and research that push for high-quality
computer science programs.

Chief Innovation Officer at Department of Labor

Chike Aguh

Aguh is leading President Joe Biden’s efforts to use
innovative technologies to help American workers. He
previously served as head of Economic Mobility Pathways at the
Education Design Lab. While there, Aguh created the Community
College Growth Engine Fund which is focused on making
community colleges a bridge for high-growth employment fields.

THE FUTURE

Despite how hard-hit Latinos have been by Covid-19, Tijerino remains
optimistic. “We’re resilient, malleable, and self-reliant. So, a lot
of times when we’re faced with some of these issues, we shift to
entrepreneurship which is part of the future of work as well,” he
said, noting that Latinos are 25 percent more likely to have their own
business than the average U.S. citizen.

Government and the private sector need to deal with broadband and
mental health in order to make sure the next generation is ready to
take on employment that will keep America competitive. The biggest
challenge Tijerino sees is accessing the resources to be able to
better prepare Latinos for opportunities that exist.

“Companies need to pay more attention to preparedness, the access, the
opportunities that need to exist for their own sake and for the sake
of America’s workforce,” Tijerino said. “As an organization, we want
to make sure that those opportunities are there and that these
companies don’t look at us as if they have to somehow lower their
standard. Our standard is just as high as anyone else … Instead of
fighting over a bucket, why don’t you increase what the well looks
like that you can draw buckets from and that’s what we’re trying to
do.”

Employed Hispanic or Latino Population by Occupation, 2019

Source: BLS.Gov

24.2%

Service

23.3%

Management, professional, and related

20.6%

Sales and office

8.1%

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

19.3%

Production, transportation, and material moving

Presented By

Presented by

THE WORKFORCE

Government and the private sector are rethinking their roles in
preparing for the future labor market needs. And Covid-19 has
only added to the urgency as we are undergoing the most severe
worker shortage on record.