This study documents, for the first time, the incidence of underemployment among workers of Mexican descent. The results indicate that there were twice as many underemployed Mexican males relative to their White counterparts in 1987. The disparity for women was also substantial with 1.6 times as many Mexicans as Whites underemployed. Joblessness among Mexicans accounts for less than one third of their total underemployment. The data also show that young and poorly educated Mexican workers are overrepresented among the underemployed. Additionally, underemployed workers are concentrated in peripherylike sectors of the economy. Data come from the 1987 annual demographic file of the Current Population Survey.
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