Visit the Hispanic Integration Hub

January 27, 2010

New York, NY---U.S. businesses that have benefited from immigrant labor are showing a responsibility for helping to ensure that this new, younger labor force becomes a part of the country in which they now work and will raise their children. And business is willing to speak out.

Recognizing the invaluable role of immigrants, and Latinos in general, to the nation’s competitiveness, Americas Society announces the launch of the Hispanic Integration Hub, an online destination to present and promote private-sector experiences of effective integration efforts. The website includes video and testimonials from business and community leaders about the efficacy of immigrant-targeted skills development programs.

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• Visit the Hispanic Integration Hub at: http://hispanicintegration.org/

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Developed with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Hispanic Integration Hub is a one-stop resource on the economic and fiscal impact of immigrants, the returns of integration programs, and a place to learn about the achievements of immigrant leaders. “With all the misinformation that exists about immigrants today, this website is an important step in showing how vital immigrants—and the overall Latino population—are to the U.S. economy and to business,” says Jason Marczak, Americas Society and Council of the Americas Director of Policy.

Why would a company invest in English as a Second Language (ESL), skills training, financial literacy, or leadership programs? Quite simply, the returns are compelling: Employees with greater English fluency communicate more effectively with co-workers and customers; employees that are financially literate tend to be more secure; and employees that are active in the community portray a positive image of the company. All of this helps to reduce employee turnover and the costs associated with training new hires. Additionally, investing in skills development for immigrant workers increases loyalty among these workers—boosting productivity—and reinforces the pipeline for workers to enter into higher-level positions.

Companies are also realizing that skills training courses can reap benefits when applied outside their own workforce and to the immigrant community at large. Commenting on the impact of their immigrant-oriented financial literacy programs, Shane Merrill-Facio, a vice president of SunTrust Bank in Nashville notes, “Our educational programs have brought in a lot of new business."

The new Hispanic Integration Hub offers media, businesses, and civic leaders valuable information on:

• Why workplace integration programs make business sense
• Examples of workplace integration programs
• Data on immigrants and patterns of integration
• Interviews with business executives about immigrants and the economy
• Stories of immigrant leaders from around the country

For more information, visit the Hispanic Integration Hub, or contact communications manager Alex Andrews at aandrews@as-coa.org, or (212) 685-4441.

See more in:  Immigration & Remittances, Corporate Social Responsibility