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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

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The city's largest minority group often remains shut out of the C-suite.

The big picture: Only about 25% of Latinos say they feel fully included at their workplaces, according to a new national report from Bain & Company, a management consulting firm.

Why it matters: Feelings of alienation, such as those caused by being passed up for promotions or not being invited to crucial planning meetings, may pose problems for private companies in a competitive labor market and amid pressures to diversify staff in a changing nation.

70% of Latino workers say inclusion is a critical factor when evaluating prospective employers, the Bain study found.

Latino workers who do not feel fully included are roughly two times more likely to quit than those who feel fully included.

By the numbers: Austin ranks 40th among the 50 largest U.S. cities in Latino executive representation, per pre-pandemic research out of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Latinos in Austin are 29% of the overall workforce and hold 7% of all executive positions.

By comparison: San Antonio ranks 12th out of the top 50 — Latinos are 53% of the overall workforce and 20% of the city's executives, the UMass researchers found.

Zoom out: Nationally, Latinos are the fastest growing demographic, accounting for around 80% of workforce growth from 2010 to 2017.

They are expected to represent nearly one in three working-age Americans by 2050.

Flashback: In March we wrote about how an Austin nonprofit is pushing fellow organizations to install underrepresented people in board positions.

What they're saying: "If you're not creating pathways for Latinos or future Black executives or those historically underrepresented, you are not going to be a successful organization, because you are not going to have full support of those who can bring full creativity to the table," said Estevan Delgado, director of the LBJ School at the University of Texas' Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and former manager of the Austin Community Foundation's Hispanic Impact Fund, an initiative aimed at advancing Latino futures across Central Texas. 

Companies increasingly talk a good game about diversity and inclusion, but "action needs to be associated with it as well," Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO Monica Muñoz Andry tells Axios. 

The bottom line: "Latinos are essential, not expendable," Paul Saldaña, a founder of Hispanic Advocates and Business Leaders of Austin, tells Axios. 

Latinos feel alienated at work

Latinos in Austin are 29% of the overall workforce and hold 7% of all executive positions, per pre-pandemic research.

Illustration of a woman holding an eroding briefcase 

The city&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="largest minority group" data-vars-click-url="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/austincitytexas/LND110210" data-vars-content-id="2b61b007-db38-48a1-9806-9304c799a078" data-vars-headline="Latinos feel alienated at work" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/austincitytexas/LND110210" target="_blank">largest minority group</a> often remains shut out of the C-suite.The big picture: Only about 25% of Latinos say they feel fully included at their workplaces, according to a new national <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report from Bain &amp; Company," data-vars-click-url="https://www.bain.com/insights/better-inclusion-for-latino-talent-will-build-stronger-organizations/" data-vars-content-id="2b61b007-db38-48a1-9806-9304c799a078" data-vars-headline="Latinos feel alienated at work" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bain.com/insights/better-inclusion-for-latino-talent-will-build-stronger-organizations/" target="_blank">report from Bain &amp; Company,</a> a management consulting firm.

News

Business

Many Black Lives Matter murals painted about three years ago on city streets have faded or vanished altogether.

Why it matters: Cities across the country, including Austin, rushed to put up art following the 2020 murder of George Floyd to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Driving the news: Support for the Black Lives Matter movement has decreased since Floyd's murder, according to a recent survey. 

A slim majority of Americans (51%) still back BLM, but the movement aimed at dismantling systemic racism has seen a sharp drop in support amid conservative backlash and reports of infighting and financial mismanagement.

At the peak of the movement, following Floyd's murder, two-thirds of Americans said they supported the movement.

Data: Pew Research Center; Chart: Axios Visuals

Flashback: Texans have been sharply divided about the movement, with 58% of Republicans registering a "very unfavorable" view of Black Lives Matter and 4% "very favorable" in June 2020, per a University of Texas poll.

The figures were basically the opposite for Democrats, with 53% saying they had a "very favorable" view and 3% a "very unfavorable" view.

Between the lines: Gov. Greg Abbott has said he would pardon a man convicted in April of killing an Austin Black Lives Matter protester in 2020 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Abbott has asked his pardons board to issue a recommendation before he proceeds.

Zoom in: "Black Austin Matters" was painted in June 2020 in massive letters on Congress Avenue as a temporary art installation to recognize the city's Black community.

The city also authorized a "Black Artists Matter" temporary installation on East 11th Street around the same time. Both were installed ahead of Juneteenth.

The Black Austin Matters painting on Congress was milled and overlayed as part of scheduled resurfacing in December 2022, Austin transportation department spokesperson Jeff Stensland tells Axios.

The Black Artists Matter installation still exists and was touched up before Juneteenth in 2021

Of note: A BLM painting on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower in Manhattan in 2020 became a political flashpoint when then-President Trump called the planned move a "symbol of hate."  It has largely faded away in the intervening years.

Charlotte's colorful BLM mural also faded away over time after the city opened up the street to traffic in late 2020.

How city BLM art and changing politics intertwine

Americans have a less favorable view of the Black Lives Matter movement — and some 2020 street signs have been paved over.

Austin Transportation crews touched up the Black Artists Matter painting on East 11th Street in June 2021. Photo: City of Austin

Many Black Lives Matter murals painted about three years ago on city streets have faded or vanished altogether.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cities across" data-vars-click-url="https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-announces-completion-permanent-installation-black-lives-matter-plaza" data-vars-content-id="a1c0c076-b787-4465-8edd-f457af7e0b46" data-vars-headline="How city BLM art and changing politics intertwine" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-announces-completion-permanent-installation-black-lives-matter-plaza" target="_blank">Cities across</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the country" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/black-lives-matter-mural-painted-on-san-francisco-street/2308590/" data-vars-content-id="a1c0c076-b787-4465-8edd-f457af7e0b46" data-vars-headline="How city BLM art and changing politics intertwine" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/black-lives-matter-mural-painted-on-san-francisco-street/2308590/" target="_blank">the country</a>, including Austin, rushed to put up art following the 2020 murder of George Floyd to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Politics

Data:LDC U.S. Latino GDP Report; Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios

Even as Latinos have been marginalized in some boardrooms, overall U.S. Latino buying power and economic output grew during the pandemic.

The big picture: In 2020, Latinos spent $1.84 trillion, representing a consumption market larger than the entire economies of Canada or South Korea, according to a report released last week by the nonprofit Latino Donor Collaborative.

That's likely due to a strong workforce that rebounded quickly despite a disproportionate rate of infections, the report says.

It also says the total economic output of U.S. Latinos reached $2.8 trillion in 2020, comparable to the GDPs of the U.K. and India.

Pay in low-wage positions like hospitality and service jobs — in which Latinos are overrepresented — also grew over the last couple of years as businesses struggled to find workers.

Zoom in: Hispanic Texans in 2019 earned $213.7 billion, with more than $50 billion going to taxes, leaving them with $162.4 billion in spending power that can be reinvested in local communities, per a report last year by a business coalition.

Between the lines: "Hispanics can demand a seat at the table now that we can show that what we bring to the dinner party is crucial," J.R. Gonzales, executive vice chair of the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, said at that report's release.

Yes, but: The Austin-area median Latino household earns almost $27,000 less than the median white household, per federal data.

Much of the Latino workforce in Austin is "confined to minimal incomes," according to a 2021 report by Austin's Hispanic Impact Fund, an initiative aimed at advancing Latino futures across Central Texas, because of a job skills gap, educational discrepancies or unfamiliarity with English.

What they're saying: "Latinos have proven to be a tremendous source of resilience for the broader U.S. economy, even in the face of a one-in-a-century global crisis such as COVID-19," authors of the Latino Donor Collaborative report wrote.

"The performance of Latinos during the pandemic is exemplified by income data. From 2010 to 2020, Latinos enjoyed significantly higher wage and salary income growth than non-Latinos," they added.

Despite pandemic, Latinos' economic power is growing

In 2020, Latinos spent $1.84 trillion, representing a consumption market larger than the entire economies of Canada or South Korea.

Even as Latinos have been marginalized in some boardrooms, overall U.S. Latino buying power and economic output grew during the pandemic.The big picture: In 2020, Latinos spent $1.84 trillion, representing a consumption market larger than the entire economies of Canada or South Korea, according to a report released last week by the nonprofit Latino Donor Collaborative.

Russell Contreras

Featured stories

How city BLM art and changing politics intertwine

Despite pandemic, Latinos' economic power is growing

Latinos feel alienated at work