The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece today about a supposed trend in the working world — blacks are being passed over for positions as employers show favoritism towards Latino candidates:

This kind of case marks a shift from years past, when blacks were likely to seek legal action against employers who showed preferential treatment toward whites. The cases highlight mounting tension between Hispanics and blacks as they compete for resources and job opportunities.

Recently, the federal agency announced it also secured a $180,000 settlement from Zenith National Insurance Corp., a national workers-compensation specialist, to be divided among 10 blacks who applied for a mailroom job at its headquarters in Woodland Hills, Calif. The job was offered to a Latino man with no mailroom experience, according to the EEOC.

What would the motivation be for this? Are racist employers opting for Latino candidates because they believe them to be “more white” than blacks? The article highlights another possible motive:

“There is a perception that Latinos closer to the immigrant experience might work harder than black persons.”

In addition to the obvious wrongs of this type of hiring, I fear that it might have a negative effect on Latino-African American relations if the problem continues to grow.

Via / WSJ.com