The Growing Multi-generational and Latino Workforce: Implications for Organizations and Human Resources (In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month)

By Edwin Mouriño, Ph.D., President & Founder, Human Intelligent (HI) Workplace

Change is in the air

September and October are usually highlighted as Hispanic Heritage Month. This is particularly relevant today with the changing demographics in the United States. Today’s society and workforce are increasingly older and multigenerational, with the aging baby boomers and now with four generations in the workplace. Presently, there are more 60-year-olds than 5-year-olds (Taylor & Lebo, 2019). Those over 60 make up a $22 trillion market, and by 2028, one in four in the U.S. will be 55 and older (Golden-Winer, Stage not Age, 2022). And despite ageism being highlighted on LinkedIn and through AARP and others, in 2023, the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce was those over the age of 75 (Forbes, 2023).

The Growing Latino demographic

However, behind this aging baby boomer group is also an increasingly growing multicultural workforce with Latinos making up 78% of entrants into the workforce in this decade (Latino Comprehensive Report, 2024). The average age for Latinos is 27 compared to 40 for non-Latinos. Add to this that almost 50% of Gen Z identify as multicultural (Tagliani, Multicultural and Brand Success, 2025).

This reminds me of an article written by Glenn Llopis titled “Without Hispanics, America’s Corporations Can’t Grow and Compete” in Forbes in 2015. Some may have not agreed or believed the title then, but here we are. This was further reinforced by an earlier book by Dr. Rodriguez, where he highlighted that for every non-Latino who dies, one is born, and for every Latino who dies, eight are born (Latino Talent, 2007).

While these statistics might surprise some, what most might not realize is that the world is aging, including the U.S. It is estimated that to maintain stable population growth and to replace today’s workforce, countries need a 2.1 replacement rate. This includes births, deaths, immigration, and emigration (The Longevity Economy, Coughlin, J. 2017). The United States just dropped to 1.6 after being at 2.0 for a few years.

The United States is home to 63 million Latinos (legal citizens). This makes it one-fifth of the U.S. population and second in the world with the most Latinos and the second country in the world where Spanish is spoken. The U.S. has more Latinos than Canada has Canadians, and Spain has Spaniards.

Latinos make up 25% of the U.S. workforce and have a purchasing power of $4.1 trillion, which would make it 5th in the world if we were a country from a GDP perspective. They are also responsible for 30% of the U.S. GDP growth since 2019. The Latino GDP grew almost 75% from 2010 to 2023, while the non-Latino GDP segment grew 27% (Latino GDP 2025). Lastly, the Latino GDP is World’s 5^th largest economy and is now projected to surpass Japan and Germany by the end of the decade (Latino Growth 2025).

Contributions and Growing segment of society

Latinos have been quietly contributing to the world. Some examples are the color TV credited to Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena from Mexico, Duolingo and Captcha co-founded by Luis Von Ahn from Guatemala, the first artificial heart developed by Domingo Santo Liotta, from Argentina, and Franklin Chang Diaz, the first Latino Astronaut from Costa Rica. We cannot forget Jose Hernandez, who found himself working with his parents as a kid, as a migrant farm worker in the U.S., while he went to school, and went on to become an astronaut (there is a Netflix movie on his life, A Million Miles Away). In addition, there are thousands of U.S. veterans who have put on the uniform for this country, and many lost their lives. And as a U.S. Air Force veteran, who joined in Puerto Rico, I am proud Latino to have worn the uniform.

The above do not include the more popular and famous like the well-known Latinos in Hollywood, sports, entertainment, politicians, and others, such as Jessica Alba, Zoe Saldaña, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Garcia, Bad Bunny, Sonia Sotomayor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Leguizamo, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ellen Ochoa, and so many others.

Some in Hollywood and outside argue that there are not enough in leading roles or that we do not have enough in senior executive roles of Fortune 500 companies. Presently there is about 4% of Latinos in the executive suite and 70% of the Fortune 500 companies do not have a Latino on their board (We’re All Human, 2024). This while Latinos make up 20% of the workforce and is a growing consumer market.

The challenges and opportunities ahead

Due to the aging demographics, there is also a growing skills shortage. Organizations and Human Resources will need to address how to become a great place to work for all. To create a competitive advantage for themselves as a workplace where this growing segment of the U.S. can see themselves contributing and growing in their career, irrespective of age and demographic.

While Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become a politically and negatively charged concept in the U.S, the benefits highlighted by research and facts point to the advantage a growing multi-generational and multi-cultural workforce can provide an organization. Issues like task performance, making better decisions, making better investments (Gompers & Kovvali, HBR, 2018), increase in revenue (Powers, BCG, Forbes, 2018), increase in financial returns by diverse executive teams (Mckinsey DEI matter, 2023) , and generating more revenue per employee (D&I Business Priority, 2016) are just a sample of the bottom line benefits of having diverse teams in organizations.

This does not include the consumer market angle of the growing Latino community. This growing Latino demographic is not monolithic. The common denominator among them is their language (even though there are differences from one country to another). They represent a Latino culture, but again there are sometimes subtle and sometimes not subtle differences. Today 77% of Latinos are aware of their positive contributions to the U.S., yet 42% do not believe those in power consider their interests (Hispanic Study, We’re all Human, 2025). Is your organization considering them as part of your workforce and/or consumer?

So what, now what?

The main message is clear: demographic shifts, especially with the increase of an aging and Latino workforce, present both challenges and opportunities that organizations cannot afford to ignore. How organizations and leaders respond to these demographic changes will determine their ongoing relevance and success. Some considerations for HR and their organizations are the following:

To ensure that as their organization crafts its strategic plans that it seriously considers the changing demographics from both a workforce and consumer perspective.

Leaders will not only need to maximize their changing workforce demographics but also look for ways to have increasingly multicultural leadership teams. The research is clear on the business and financial impact of a diverse team.

Leaders will need to be aware of the unconscious biases that we all have. Be this of an aging workforce or a growing multi-cultural and Latino workforce.

Today’s workforce has different expectations from their workplaces and leaders. They want to be included and listened to; ensure you’re creating an inclusive workplace and organizational culture. Because the power of exclusivity is strong. It actually impacts us neurologically. If you can still remember when, as a child, your friends did not include you in a game or when you’ve been excluded from meetings and projects at work in the past, this shows you the power of exclusion.

Ensure HR is enabling your leaders to create a healthy, happy, psychologically safe, and engaging workplace. It turns out that in the 100 Best Workplaces, they experience 8.5x more revenue per employee (Employees Trust Fuels $ Success, 2025). Inclusivity will be key for this.

Today’s leaders play a couple of unique roles, one being a celebrity. They are always under the spotlight from everyone in their organization and externally. They also play a role like a Director of an Orchestra. Just as a director must create the most beautiful music from the collective members of the orchestra, leaders need to ensure they are engaging and getting the best out of their growing and diverse teams.

Last, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, 2025. Not just for its music, food, and culture. But for the contributions that Latinos keep making to society, the world, the United States, and to your organizations.

Some questions for to consider:

Is your organization and leadership adapting to these changes?
Are you taking a proactive, comprehensive, and systemic approach to position your organization for success?
Does your senior leadership represent the various market shares and consumers that it needs for success? Ensure it is not just providing lip service to the growing multi-generational and multicultural workforce and consumer.

The future is unwritten and unknown. AI and humans will both shape it. But in summary, organizations that adapt to today’s evolving workforce and demographic realities will thrive—those that don’t will be left behind or disappear like Blockbuster. HR can play a key role. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month.

Dr. Mouriño is an experienced professional with many years of leading, supporting, and consulting on areas focused on Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, and Workplace Strategies. Dr. Mouriño is an Air Force veteran and brings broad industry experience that include Aerospace, Government, Utility, IT, Military, Higher Education and Fortune 100 companies, He is founder and president of Human Intelligent (HI) Workplace, an organization focused on helping leaders help themselves through leadership, human capital trends, and executive coaching emphasizing the area of Human Intelligence (HI) in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He has spoken at numerous professional venues in the U.S. and internationally and presented in Spanish. He has written numerous articles on human capital trends with implications for organizations and its leadership. He is the author and co-editor of several books and numerous articles on related topics.