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Multiple Factors Contribute to Hispanic Underrepresentation in the DoD Civilian Workforce

• Hispanic representation in DoD lags behind that of the civilian labor force (CLF) and the rest of the federal government. This representation gap is unlikely to improve without DoD taking action: Hispanic representation in the DoD civilian workforce is slightly higher among separating employees than among new hires. Hispanics are less likely to work in high-promoting areas, and they are concentrated in lower-grade positions.
• Workforce characteristics account for 92 percent of the observed Hispanic representation gap between the DoD civilian workforce and CLF. Substantial contributors to Hispanic underrepresentation in the DoD civilian workforce are education, citizenship, veteran's status, age, location, and occupation.
• Most job applicants do not provide their ethnicity on USAJOBS.gov. Different techniques for addressing missing data on ethnicity can contribute to different conclusions regarding ethnic diversity among job applicants and applications.
• The geography problem is complex: Many DoD locations do not align with Hispanic population areas, which might be where most potential recruits live.
• Frequently mentioned barriers to Hispanic employment in the DoD civilian workforce include the geographic location of DoD positions, perceptions of language or citizenship barriers among potential applicants, and a lack of awareness or motivation from DoD leaders and managers to address Hispanic underrepresentation.

Hispanics are less represented in the federal government workforce than in the U.S. civilian labor force, and they are particularly underrepresented in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) civilian workforce. Although previous analyses have demonstrated that Hispanics are underrepresented in DoD, research has not yet considered employment barriers for Hispanics across DoD agencies. In this report, the authors provide information that might help DoD address Hispanic underrepresentation in its civilian workforce. They examine trends in Hispanic employment in the DoD, non-DoD federal, and civilian workforces. They also explore whether DoD labor-force characteristics might account for Hispanic underrepresentation in DoD. In addition, the authors examine observed trends in job applicants and applications to DoD. They also present findings from interviews that they conducted with DoD hiring managers and supervisors and representatives of Hispanic-serving institutions. They conclude with recommendations for DoD to consider as part of its efforts to address Hispanic underrepresentation in the DoD civilian workforce.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Research on Hispanic Employment in the U.S. Civilian Labor Force

• Chapter Three

  Application of Prior Guidance and Analytic Efforts to Hispanic Employment in the Department of Defense

• Chapter Four

  Analyzing Differences in Hispanic Representation Across Labor Forces

• Chapter Five

  Job-Applicant Data and Hispanic Representation in the Department of Defense

• Chapter Six

  Qualitative Assessment of Hispanic Representation Gaps in the Department of Defense Civilian Workforce: Representative Department of Defense Perspectives

• Chapter Seven

  Qualitative Assessment of Hispanic Representation Gaps in the Department of Defense Civilian Workforce: Engaging Hispanic-Serving Institutions

• Chapter Eight

  Conclusion and Recommendations