Recruiting Bilingual Workers in the U.S.: A Major Trend for 2012

by Guest Blogger, Lillian Swift

When it comes to the job market and recruiting trends every year, there has always been a group of trends that help guide the industry annually. In 2012, multiple experts expect the hiring of bilingual and Hispanic workers to be a key aspect of plans within the recruiting industry. 

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It’s expected that about 44 percent of employers and recruiters will put an increased value into hiring bilingual workers in 2012. There are many important aspects to having bilingual workers on board, starting with the versatility that can be brought into the office.

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Hiring a bilingual worker can have a number of great effects on the business. Their ability to speak to new clients could create a brand new market for the business, as well as the ability for the company to communicate with new clients. One thing many businesses without a bilingual worker run into is the issue of hiring a translator or interpreter. 

Many are trying to eliminate these translators as a middle party, because of their end cost.  With the hiring of bilingual employees, there’s often no need for an interpreter. A bilingual employee is also an addition to a team that will fully understand the culture and goals within the company. A need for workers to communicate well with the client and customer base is always necessary. This is especially important for hiring companies such as marketing firms, hospitality destinations and abogado practices.

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Recruiters and businesses are simply looking to make their companies more versatile in 2012 and sometimes have a hard time recruiting good bilingual employees.  Some companies overturn this task by relying on other firms—such as call centers—to handle some of their hiring versus having to worry about recruiting good bilingual employees.  In business today, there has never been more of an emphasis on adapting and being prepared for multiple situations, a trait that is greatly fulfilled with the addition of bilingual workers. The global market continues to go up and a better connection with customers is always desired. Versatility and customer service come to the forefront when you talk about trends in hiring this year.

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Bilingual employees in the United States are also likely to benefit from the trend in recruiting and hiring in 2012.  Experts believe that with the competition for hiring bilingual workers being at an all time high, offers and salaries will also be at an all time high. Businesses see the value in hiring bilingual employees and are putting their money on the table to try and attract the best of the best.

Employment resources such as Salary.com believe that bilingual workers could see anywhere from a five to 20 percent pay increase over a regular salary rate. This number is large when it comes to salaries, as the percentage jump could allow for thousands more per year for bilingual employees in the United States.

More Than Pretty Packaging for Ethnic-Specific Beauty Products

Slight anatomical and physiological differences serve as goldmines in the sales and product industry. Packaging, the intended audience, and emotional and personal connections are all factors necessary to make a product and separate them into differing segments. For example, shaving razors can be used by both men and women alike, but why are they segmented? The need to expand a product into two gender niches allows a company to allocate and thrive on two markets for one product. 

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Form a Sturdy Foundation

Just as gender roles serve as foundations to further market a product, cultures, traditions, and ethnic backgrounds do much the same. The latter of these foundations are often overlooked in the American industry and if given more attention, would allow more market expansion and better client retention and loyalty.  

The Hispanic community, according to the 2010 census, comprises 16.3 percent of the total U.S. population with a mass of nearly 50.5 million individuals. A nearly untapped market, this community can be easily represented and marketed to if marketers take the time to understand subtle differences between members of the Hispanic community and their cultures. 

Juan Guillermo Tornoe of Hispanic Trending states, “there isn’t a simple turnkey solution to effectively reach “Hispanics”; it all depends on the specifics of EACH situation. It is the job of the advertiser and its advertising/marketing consultant to see the business real and approach the situation in the best way possible.”

Learning About Your Niche

The same concept applies to beauty and health market trends within the Hispanic Community. Relaying back to segmenting similar products, it is not uncommon to see shampoo in a drugstore, and a somewhat similar shampoo marketed for people of ethnic backgrounds. How then, do these similar but dissimilar products produce any sales? It is necessary to make products and concepts that are relatable to your targeted audience through understanding their culture, tradition, and in this case, healthcare needs. Having a thorough grasp of the Hispanic Community will afford you knowledge about cultures that can be easily applied to marketing, and it will help avoid advertising using just a representation of how people look with no consideration to their background.

Be Attractive

Reflecting core values and interests of your target audience will garner much attention from customers. Research conducted by U.S.-based Bromley Communications finds that the Hispanic Latina is quickly replacing Anglo moms as the dominant consumer target from now to 2050. With that in mind, consider an example of how marketing and a need for segmenting can aid your campaign:

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Fórmula Latina ™ is the only line of professional hair care products made exclusively for the Latina woman sold at retail outlets, and the first line launched in the U.S. with Spanish packaging and advertising.  This line of hair care was designed especially for Latinas, but is marketed for anyone who requires the same maintenance as someone who has similar hair to Latina hair. Although this shampoo was designed with the Latina in mind, it was made to be appropriate for all ethnicities. This, perhaps, is an example of how products seem to represent a culture of people but falsely do so by not considering the specific needs of the Hispanic community and the background, interests, and tradition of the niche they are marketing to. 

Regardless of Fórmula Latina ™ being a generalized product, it has grown to much success and attention from Hispanic women. Ironically, the market for ethnic-specific health and beauty products is stagnate and valued at $1.5 billion, a 1.3 percent decrease over 2002 sales. Purchases of general-use health and beauty products by ethnic consumers are valued at $6 billion, posting a slight increase of 1.1% over 2002 according to Packaged Facts. This slight increase and the acknowledgement of ethnic-specific health and beauty products is the start of a blossoming industry.