In this episode of Work in Progress, Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, and Mauricio Garcia, senior VP of programs for UnidosUS join me to discuss the digital divide that is threatening to create further barriers to family-sustaining jobs for Latinos and Hispanics.

You’ve probably heard about the digital gap or digital divide in the U.S. For U.S. Latinos that gap is significant. According to the Pew Research Center, 80% of whites are connected to broadband internet while only 65% of Latinos are. And Latinos may get less encouragement to seek digital training or jobs requiring digital skills.

That digital disparity means Latinos as a group face more challenges when job-seeking. Without a high level of digital skills, Latinos and others are increasingly shut out of career opportunities.

As Latinos are set to drive nearly 80% of workforce growth by 2030, closing the digital divide is not just a social priority, it’s an economic imperative.

I spoke with Miranda and Garcia at the JFF Horizons conference in Washington, D.C., in July. We discussed how community-based organizations, upskilling programs, and policy initiatives are working to bridge the gap and empower the Latino workforce.

You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find it on the Work in Progress YouTube channel.

Episode 335: Frankie Miranda, president & CEO, Hispanic Federation, and Mauricio Garcia, SVP of programs, UnidosUS
Host & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNation
Producer: Larry Buhl
Theme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4
Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode here
Work in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here