For the UN, a young person is a person between the ages of 15 and 24; In the United States, this same definition has been taken, but not in the Mexican case; In Mexico, youth are those between the ages of 12 and 29.
Be that as it may, young people are a powerful group whose main advantage is precisely their young age and sufficient energy to join working life, in existing companies or the formation of their own, or in an infinite number of projects thanks to new technologies. Without any fear, young people are the future of the country and Latino youth are the future of the United States.
There are currently 42 million young adults in the United States (ages 15-24), representing 13% of the country’s total population. Just for reference, people aged 60 and over represent 24% of the population, that is, they are almost twice as many as young adults.
Among the white population, as well as among African Americans and Asians, only one in 10 is young, but among Hispanics it is 2 in 10.
Thus, a quarter of the country’s total youth population is Hispanic. Just 5 years ago, these young people represented less than a fifth of the total. This means that their number is increasing, but not because of immigration but because of the increase in the number of Hispanic Americans, that is, they are the children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of Latino immigrants.
Of these young Latinos, 84% were born in the United States, only 3% naturalized, 6% had legal permanent residence and 7% were undocumented, but 6 in 10 made it to the United States. Countries. UU being under 16, that is, they fall into the category of dreamers.
To date, 6 out of 10 Hispanic youth have a high school education or more, of which 24% have a college degree and 10% have a bachelor’s level. That is, they have been prepared or are in the process of being prepared.
At least half of Latino youth are already employed in activities as diverse as business management, financial professions, administrative support, agriculture, construction, and transportation of people. And among those who work, at least a third continue to study, that is, they combine working life and education. Young Latinos are ending the stigma that has plagued society for so long, according to which Latinos only hold low-skilled, low-paid positions.
On the other hand, there are non-Hispanic whites, among whom aging predominates and increases, currently about a third of whites are 60 or older, while only ten Hispanics are this age.
The average age for Whites is 43, African Americans 37, Asians 38, and Latinos 31.
This data is an example of why we assert that the United States has great wealth and treasure in Latino youth. Because they are the ones who will be fully integrated into working life in the coming years, many of them already work and pay taxes, which benefits the American economy, and who, no doubt, a large part of their weight will fall on them to maintain the pension. The system, which is increasingly demanding resources in the United States. So, beyond the contentious rhetoric still prevalent in some areas of the country, it is important to recognize that Latino youth are and will contribute more to the United States. It remains the most important economy in the United States. the world.
* Arcelia Serrano Vargas is a graduate economist in regional development. She is currently a researcher and analyst at the Mixa Institute.
