Latinos in the US Workforce Have Some of the Most Dangerous Jobs

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Latinos make up 18% of the US workforce and are the fastest growing working population in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

However, there is a lack of Latino representation in corporate leadership, and few occupy high paying jobs in lucrative industries like engineering, technology, and science.

Due to systemic inequities stemming from generations of racism and oppression, many Latinos work labor-intensive jobs in industries such as agriculture, building and ground maintenance, and construction.

These jobs are more physically demanding, putting stress on the body, and are performed outdoors, where workers are exposed to the elements and pollution.

Working these jobs can endanger the health and safety of employees.

Latino workers die on the job more than any other racial or ethnic group, according to a new report from the AFL-CIO, which stands for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations and is the largest federation of unions in the US.

Latino Job Deaths

Of the 5,486 workers who died on the job in 2022, 1,248 were Latino, representing a 44% increase from 2003, according to the report.

Of the Latinos who died on the job, 60% were immigrants.

A notable example of Latino immigrant on-the-job deaths was the recent collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The collapse occurred around 1:30 a.m. On March 28, 2024, when a cargo ship lost power and crashed into the bridge, taking the lives of six immigrants performing roadwork during the collapse.

“This incident highlights the dangerous work immigrants do every day to provide for people in the United States and the toll it takes on their families and communities when workplaces are not safe,” the report stated.

The new statistic represents an increase in Latino job fatalities in the US, increasing to 4.6 per 100,000 workers, which is 24% higher than the national average.

Latinos made up the majority of on-the-job deaths in 2022, followed by Black workers at 734 deaths — the most in at least 20 years.

“The alarming disparities in workplace fatalities among workers of color are unacceptable, symptomatic of deeply embedded racial inequity and the need to pay increased attention to the dangerous industries that treat workers as disposable,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an organization news release.

Baltimore tragedy: Latino workers have repeatedly worked to build the nation’s infrastructure.