The representation of Latinos in the media sector grew by just 1% in the last decade, according to a new report

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Latinos remain vastly underrepresented in the media industry and are much more likely to be in service roles, according to the most recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). acronym in English) on the representation of Latinos in film, television and other publishing entities.

The 2021 GAO report revealed that Latinos make up 12% of the media workforce and 4% of industry managers, despite making up 18% of the total U.S. workforce.

This latest report, released Wednesday, offers a more comprehensive data analysis on Latino representation in the media industry over the past decade and solutions federal agencies could take to help increase diversity in the media industry. industry.

The Latino population in the media sector increased 1% from 2010 to 2019, compared to a slightly larger 3% increase in representation in all other sectors, according to the report.

"This invisibility means that Americans don't know who Latinos are or how we have contributed to our nation's success. This year's report will be a call to action to achieve greater Latino representation in the media and allow the narrative Latina is finally part of the larger American narrative," said Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from Texas, who has led a congressional effort to investigate the state of media diversity.

Latinas have even starker disparities in representation in the industry.

The only roles in which they are more represented than men are news analysts/journalists and writers/authors, outperforming men by just 1% in both sectors, according to a GOA report.

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The conclusions published this Wednesday are part of the second installment of the GAO report.

Last year, the agency released its first report, in which researchers analyzed Hispanic representation by media sector and occupation.

The Hispanic congressional group in Congress had asked the GAO to investigate the issue in 2020.

The initial report, Castro said in a statement, "put a national spotlight on the industry's failure to recruit and retain talented Latinos."

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The media sector is responsible for informing the American public and influencing the way we think about the world and other people, making it essential for society to represent those diverse perspectives from the top down, the report said.

Media companies also have a financial incentive to promote representative parity.

A Nielsen report revealed last month that Latino viewers were spending more time watching shows that included Latino representation behind and in front of the camera.

• Latinos are more likely to binge watch when they see themselves represented on screen, according to a Nielsen study

When Latinos do get jobs in the media industry, they are often segregated into service roles.

According to the report, 19% of Latinos who work in the media are service workers, compared to 3% who hold managerial positions.

Latinas have even starker disparities in industry representation.

The only roles in which they are more represented than men are news analysts/journalists and writers/authors, outperforming men by just 1% in both sectors, according to the report.

A small group of researchers and representatives from industry groups, union members, and members of Hispanic nonprofit organizations identified in the report several different challenges Latinos face in obtaining jobs in the industry, such as financial and educational barriers, but most said limited access to professional networks, in particular, had detrimental effects.

According to the researchers, part of the blame may lie with the way the federal government enforces anti-discrimination and equal employment opportunity regulations.

The report offers recommendations that some federal agencies could adopt to mitigate this disparity, such as the Equal Opportunity Commission

Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) shares discrimination complaint filing reports with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which can conduct audits and penalize companies previously flagged for the first organism.

CNN's Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.

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