The study, titled “Up for Grabs: The Gains and Prospects of First- and Second-Generation Young Adults," set out to paint a portrait of the more than 11 million “immigrant-origin” adults between the ages of 16 and 26. Such youth account for half the growth of the young adult population in the United States between 1995 and 2010, according to the study. As such their trajectory in the classroom and on the job takes on new prominence as they assume a greater role in a U.S. workforce that continues to age.
Hispanics are 58 percent of the country’s 4.8 million first-generation young adults – defined in the report as people between the ages of 16 and 26. And Hispanics accounted for 53 percent of the 6.5 million second-generation Americans, MPI said.
Some highlights of the report include:
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Latinas have a 46 percent college enrollment rate, roughly the same as non-Latina white women, but when it comes to obtaining a degree, Latinas lag behind by 18 percent. Slightly more than 50 percent of non-Latina white women obtain their degree, compared with Latinas at 33 percent, according to the study. Research shows that wages rise with every level of education. Second-generation Hispanic women with at least a bachelor’s degree earn on average $10 more per hour than those with a high school degree.
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Second-generation Latinos enrolled in college at a rate of 37 percent, compared with non-Latino white men, who have a rate of 40 percent. Third-generation Latino men, however, enrolled at rate of 35 percent.
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This is particularly significant because our research shows that wages rise with every level of education. Second-generation Hispanic women with at least a bachelor’s degree earn on average $10 more per hour than those with a high school degree.
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Roughly 2.2 million foreign-born youth are bilingual, meaning they reported speaking English “very well” in addition to speaking a second language.
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First- and second-generation Americans who are not Latinos have higher educational attainment than their Latino peers, as well as third-generation Hispanics and African-Americans.
Source: Latino.FoxNews.com, Second-Generation Latinas Close Gap with Whites in College Enrollment, by Elizabeth Llorente, November 15, 2011.