As the most populous city in Ventura County, California, Oxnard offers an economic window into the employment experiences of the region’s young Latina workers. Latinas make up approximately 72% of the City’s female workforce (U.S. Census Bureau 2023).
Shaping the Next Generation: Trends Among Oxnard’s Young Adult Latina Workforce is a research brief that centers young adult Latinas (ages 18-34) to illuminate employment trends and propose recommendations that address their unique labor challenges. The following analysis identifies employment patterns among young adult Latina workers in Oxnard, using estimates from the 2019-23 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2023 Thriving Youth Study (TYS). The TYS is a community-engaged survey of Oxnard residents ages 18-34 and provides additional insights into the specific experiences of workers in the City (Terriquez 2024).
The following are key findings from the analysis:
- More than a third (36%) of young adult Latina workers are parents. Caregiving responsibilities often create additional challenges for Latina workers, making it difficult for this workforce to pursue stable, well-paying jobs.
- The majority of young adult Latina workers (62%) only earn $20 or less per hour. These low wages reflect the industries where they are most commonly employed, including retail, agriculture, and other service-sector jobs.
- Over half (55%) of Latina young workers receive their schedules with less than two weeks’ advance notice. This unpredictability makes it harder for Latina workers to manage family responsibilities and limits their ability to plan for education, training, or long-term career advancement.
This research is part of the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, a research and policy initiative focusing on Latinas experiences in California and beyond. It represents a partnership between the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and the UCLA Labor Center.
