Summary

GAO provided information on the experiences of 37 federal units and 3 private sector companies in recruiting, hiring, and retaining Hispanic employees, including what significant barriers the organizations overcame in seeking to increase their Hispanic representation.

GAO noted that: (1) the employment practices that were reported by the federal units and private sector companies GAO surveyed essentially had as their foundation an environment in which the goal of achieving a diverse workforce was reinforced by their management pronouncements and actions; (2) this commitment to diversity was usually evidenced by senior-level management in a highly visible manner; (3) for example, senior-level management at one agency established a program to intensify efforts to increase Hispanic employment; (4) senior-level management of the three private sector companies signed agreements with Hispanic communities through an Hispanic association; (5) federal units and companies from among those GAO surveyed said senior-level management also held managers at various levels accountable for meeting the goal of maintaining a diverse workforce; (6) the federal units and companies GAO surveyed also reported making special efforts to develop long-term relationships with Hispanic communities to identify and recruit qualified Hispanics; (7) those relationships included networking with Hispanic groups, such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, recruiting at educational institutions with large populations of Hispanic students, establishing individual relationships with Hispanic students prior to graduation through, for example, cooperative employment programs, and participating in minority job fairs; (8) according to the information the federal units and companies GAO surveyed provided, networking with Hispanic communities was one of the most effective tools for overcoming some of the barriers to achieving full representation of Hispanics; (9) most of those GAO surveyed indicated that they had not created any special programs to encourage the retention of Hispanic employees; and (10) in the views of many of the federal units and companies, the turnover rate among their Hispanic employees was either in line with or lower than the turnover rate of their non-Hispanic employees.