Decades of Differences: Making It Work

Over the next decade, the changing racial and ethnic makeup in the United States will cause a shift in the labor force. The Asian population in the United States will continue to expand, and the proportion of African Americans is expected to grow slightly as well. By 2012, the proportion of Hispanics in our labor force is projected to grow to about 15 percent of total workers.² If you’re still not convinced that Mexican and Chinese immigrants—along with those from other countries—matter to organizations, consider this: by the year 2050, people of color will make up significantly more than half the U.S. population.³ And in addition to immigrants from Asia and Mexico, people from Cuba, Russia, Somalia, India, Vietnam, and other countries across ...