BY MIKE
In the last century the Latino population in America has
dramatically increased. Traditionally, Latinos have immigrated or migrated to
barrios in or nearby huge cities such as Miami, New York or Los Angeles. While
population has increased in the cities, because the population has increased as
a whole, it does not compare to the population growth in the south. What are
the implications of Latino’s heading South instead of traditional cities? I
believe that the appeal of the south is high job availability in unskilled jobs
but I wonder how major cities such as New York, as
well as the south will deal with these migrations that will affect the economy.
It is clear
that in a major city such as New York there is a high demand for workers of all
skill levels. I am concerned that the economy of a city like New York will
begin to suffer because of the ongoing trend of higher immigration into the
south. The reason I believe that the economy will suffer is that it will be
increasingly difficult to find cheap labor. In New York, where the cost of
living is through the roof, a decline in unskilled Latino workers could lead to
a shortage of workers for some businesses that won’t be able to find others for
low wage or hard labor jobs. The economic chain effect could be the loss of a
lot of small businesses since labor is often the greatest expense of any
company.
Economically
I believe the south is poised to benefit because of an influx in workers.
According to Rakesh Kochar, "The New Latino Sout." The Context
and Consequences of Rapid Population Growth, most of the Latinos currently
migrating to the south are uneducated. Approximately 90 percent of them do not
have bachelor’s degrees and do not speak English well. These workers will find
themselves in service industries in the south. Another main draw is the growing
need for construction workers. This is a sign of the overall health of the
economy because people are comfortable to create new assets instead of saving
up to protect their current assets. Additionally the cost of living in the
south is significantly less so I believe the Latino population will do well in
this area as they won’t be faced with high prices and won’t live in as bad of
poverty.
