Speaking Portuguese has become an advantage for Portuguese descendants in the U.S.

A new study on Portuguese-American communities in the United States shows that speaking Portuguese corresponds to a 20% salary bonus.

According to data from the study “An American dream in Portuguese: second generation and beyond”, Portuguese descendants who only speak English have a bonus of 12% in their wage bill, while those who speak Portuguese see this advantage grow to 20%.

According to this study, this fact has led many Portuguese descendants to seek to learn the language of their ancestors, which has been reinforcing the presence and valuing Portuguese culture in North American society.

Contrary to what happened in previous decades, the study reveals that at this time the Portuguese descendants have been distributed throughout the North American territory, choosing as the main factor for mobility the regions where there are better job opportunities.

The proportion of Portuguese descendants who have at least a bachelor’s degree is practically equal to the rest of the US population. With regard to master’s and doctoral degrees, the Portuguese-descendant community is below the average of the North American population, which reveals that there is still room for progress. As for the participation of Portuguese descendants in the labor market, the study reveals that it is higher in Portuguese Americans than in other residents of the United States.