Thread: Growing Hispanic Population Affects Businesses, Employment

http://www.nbc17.com/news/5068984/detail.html

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Latino population of North Carolina is the second-fastest growing of any state in the country, according to El Pueblo, a nonprofit organization.

The 2003 U.S. census estimates showed that the Latino population is around 466,704, which is about 6 percent of the state's total population.

The growth occurred mostly in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte. An estimated 92 percent of Latinos in North Carolina are employees.

Spanish-language signs, Latin boutiques and restaurants are signs that a North Raleigh shopping plaza has been transformed by a population explosion.

Major employers in the area are racing to keep pace.

"We're very committed to being culturally sensitive," said Sherry Branski, the director of clinical research management at Wake Med.

Branski said the hospital has spent years recruiting bilingual staff to deal with the steady influx of Hispanic people in the Triangle.

"I think it's absolutely critical when you're in health care to be able to deal with all the patients who enter your doors," Branski said.

The new reality is having an impact on almost every kind of industry, from the corner convenience store to law enforcement.

"Of course, we'd like to hire as many Spanish-speaking officers as we could. In the meantime, Wake Tech offers a course, and we try to send as many officers to that when we can," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said.

Experts said that to compete in the workforce, learning a second language is quickly becoming a necessity, and it could divide those who find a job from those who do not.

North Carolina was the top-ranked state for growth of Hispanic buying power. From 1999 to 2002, there was an increase of 912 percent. Their buying power was nearly $9 billion in 2002, and is expected to increase by $23 billion by 2007.

Hispanic Population Growth Causing Growing Pains For Cities

http://apnews.fimc.net/showarticlewptf. ... w=10&w=350

WPTF)--The explosive growth in the Hispanic population in the Triangle is causing all sorts of growing pains. Government services are now finding themselves hard-put to meet demand for bilingual professionals who can handle calls for police, fire, and 9-1-1 services. Alathea Bell, Durham's director of human resources, says they're making an all-out effort to find people to fill those jobs..

"We're advertising in newspapers for particularly Hispanic, but we've requested assistance and referral from El Central Hispano. We're hopefully reaching a number of people, and we're getting more applications now."

Bell says virtually every city department could use more bilingual staff.

"Police and fire are some of the major areas in our customer service area."

Bell says they're looking for bilingual applicants by posting job listings in newspapers nationwide and on the internet.