Employment

Insiders and outsiders tend to agree on the types of jobs that Latinos hold. Latino men are largely employed in construction, landscaping, painting, farming, and maintenance. Due to the outdoor nature of many of these jobs, one outsider commented that unemployment "is on an ad hoc basis because of seasonal construction and painting; people have work and then they don't. They're not contract workers, so if it rains, they can't work." However, most outsiders do not perceive unemployment as an issue in the Latino community. Before the events of September 11th, male insiders would have agreed with this perception. Since September, insiders have witnessed more unemployment among Latino workers and generally feel less stable in terms of employment.

Latina women typically are employed in gardens or nurseries and in the service sector that includes fast food restaurants, bakeries, hotel maintenance, and domestic work. Many female insiders reported difficulty in finding employment due to language barriers, lack of dependable transportation, and documentation requirements.

Latino Migrant Farm Workers

Racial Interaction Between Groups