Reverse Discrimination in Miami Government Jobs (house, employment, neighborhood)

[catt6]

so, if an employer accepts all applications, interviews everyone and examines their skills and qualifications - and then makes the choice to hire the applicant with what they determine to be the most skills, which they feel are the best fit for being able to perform the duties of the position .... how is that discrimination? If 50% of my customer base speaks English, and the other 50% speaks Spanish, why would I hire someone who can only do half the job?

to me it just sounds like so much complaining cause someone else with superior skills, that are specifically pertinent and useful to the company's business need, beat them out.

and incidentally, this is another thing that is not about "Miami". it isn't some local phenomenon; this same dynamic is present in Philly, NJ, and NYC, same way, (and probably many other USA cities). Even street signs and public notices have been in both English and Spanish for probably 25 years already in some neighborhoods; and some areas have less English spoken than another language. And the people who can speak those additional languages have the better shot at getting the jobs in those areas; they will always be chosen over other applicants with equivalent job skills, but without the 2nd language ability.

And the more multi-cultural this country becomes, the more common this will be, in even more cities in the USA. And not just Spanish, but whatever additional languages are prevalent in a given community.

Nearly every other country in the world teaches English along with their own language, as a standard part of their elementary school curriculums, starting from young ages and taught fully, not just 2 years as a high-school elective. Only here are we not taught to be equally prepared for the real world. And it's gonna hurt any American who feels it's not necessary. It's modern times, it IS necessary in today's business environment - anyone who doesn't know more than one language is gonna get left behind.

[boxus]

Originally Posted by catt6

Nearly every other country in the world teaches English along with their own language, as a standard part of their elementary school curriculums, starting from young ages and taught fully, not just 2 years as a high-school elective. Only here are we not taught to be equally prepared for the real world. And it's gonna hurt any American who feels it's not necessary. It's modern times, it IS necessary in today's business environment - anyone who doesn't know more than one language is gonna get left behind.

I know four languages, none are Spanish, just how many do I need to learn?

If English is being taught nearly everywhere, and us "Americans" are behind the modern times, then why is Spanish required? I would think all of these Spanish speakers coming from their first world education systems would know English.

[boxus]

Originally Posted by catt6

so, if an employer accepts all applications, interviews everyone and examines their skills and qualifications - and then makes the choice to hire the applicant with what they determine to be the most skills, which they feel are the best fit for being able to perform the duties of the position .... how is that discrimination? If 50% of my customer base speaks English, and the other 50% speaks Spanish, why would I hire someone who can only do half the job?

If it creates adverse impact, the burden would be on the business to prove that it is a bona fide requirement of the job to know Spanish and English.

[Felix C]

Originally Posted by Unbelievable2012

Diversity is a great thing and I believe it benefits society overall. I enjoy living in Miami and it is beautiful throughout the different communities in Miami-Dade county. The Latino groups are thriving here and are clearly dominant. I have traveled throughout South America as well and I enjoyed experiencing the different cultures and learning about them. Living here and trying to experience a fair opportunity in the labor market is what concerns me. In most of the government bodies here in Miami and the Miami-Dade county is managed by the Latino community members and it has been obvious to me that if you are a well educated white individual that meets the qualifications that your name is being passed up and not being fairly considered for government positions. When I say well educated, I am talking about having at least a bachelor degree from an accredited college or university. There is no doubt that this is happening in the Miami area and it is wrong.

How do you know this? If this is a personal experience issue, then just face reality and note you were not suitable compared to someone else.

That you would presume as you did above and then post on a public forum actually says quite a bit about you and really it is no surprise you were not hired. In fact, the entire tone of your post is condescending towards Hispanics.

We are Hispanics in Miami not Latino. Most tend to be white who are of the educated professional class.

[cojoncillo]

Do they ask for Spanish as a pre-requisite?
If they ask for Spanish, why people that do not speak Spanish apply?

[NeverBeingBoring]

Originally Posted by cojoncillo

Do they ask for Spanish as a pre-requisite?
If they ask for Spanish, why people that do not speak Spanish apply?

Many jobs are posted with Spanish as "preferred". The reality is that in Miami when they ask for "preferred" Spanish they really want it. Miami is the hub of Latin American commerce in the US - so it makes sense that Spanish would be required for many companies. What I have found is the assumption that everyone living/working in Miami are fluent in Spanish - not the case.

If a job requires - or "prefers" - Spanish, the selected applicant will probably need the skill. If you don't speak Spanish, try expanding your job search to Fort Lauderdale or south to the Keys.

[catt6]

ofgs. is it not OBVIOUS that in a community where there is a large Hispanic population, that hiring employees who are able to communicate with Spanish-speakers is a GOOD thing? is it not logical and blatantly obvious that such employees are a genuine asset to ANY company that does business in said community? this is just basic common sense.

[FlyMIA]

I agree with everyone that says it logical to have Spanish AND English speaking people especially people like assistants who deal with the clients a lot etc.. However, especially in the service and retail industry a HUGE problem Miami has is that there are many many workers out there that ONLY speak Spanish. That is not right. And as Miami becomes more international meaning not just Latin America English is needed too. English is the international language and I think that is why we Americans are a bit spoiled in that we don't really need to speak another language like some others have said. That really is wrong, we only need to speak another language when it's Hispanics IMO. Everyone in Europe learns English. Asia and the Middle East too. But for some reason we here in Miami with a large Hispanic population and business find that they don't learn English and only speak Spanish. So its ok for them to speak spanish only but us "dumb" Americans only knowing English is stupid. When English is the worlds language now. Where is the logic in that?

Of course knowing another language helps, and I understand why businesses want that. But to call people who don't speak two languages lazy, or behind is not right because the reason you say they need that skill is because a large portion of the customer base only speaks one language too and that is Spanish.

[Coconut1]

In ANY job market, especially these days, it's who you know, not what you know. Not only that, but there's just so much competition out there. For example, I know of a part time job posted (outside Miami) that paid $9.65/hour. The work week was 30 hours. There were 269 applicants for the job. Ridiculous. Who can survive on $9.65 an hour?! It's just a sign of the times.

[L'Artiste]

You could move ?