"Pacific Islanders are very different from Asians. We're so behind in everything. Asians strive more to get ahead in business, but Pacific Islanders have stayed in labor-intensive jobs." A harsh assessment, but one that comes from an influential member of the Pacific Islander community: Helaman Hansen, vice president of business advocacy group Pacific Friendly Islands Inc.

"The blame is ours," he says. "We never worked together with Asians. We have to do more to be wealthy and provide direction to our children."

Before the 2000 census, the US government grouped native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) with other Asian Americans. That census broke NHOPIs out for the first time, counting 450,000 native Hawaiians and fewer than 400,000 Pacific Islanders. The majority of those are Samoan (15 percent), Micronesian or Guamanian (11 percent each). Nearly three-quarters of all American Pacific Islanders live in the West, with more than half concentrated in California and Hawaii.

Strong Cultural Traditions Have Workplace Consequences

As a distinct group, Pacific Islanders bring unique cultural responses to the workplace. "Family ties are very strong among Pacific Islanders," says Joe Virata, director of the Asian Pacific Student Programs office at the University of California, Riverside. Virata knows of workers who choose family demands over job deadlines, which leads to workplace consequences.

"Many ethnic communities have strong [family] ties, but Pacific Islanders particularly so," Virata says. "And it's not just nuclear families but extended ones. We give equal weight to the demands of the entire clan. Pacific Islanders make job choices based on staying nearby. We don't say, 'Hey, that job in New York looks good. I'll take it.'"

Ofa Mann, a director of the Asian Pacific Islander Public Affairs Association, notes, "We place family priorities over getting to work on time. And we'll take more than three or four days off for a funeral, because our culture calls for more time. That's cost people their jobs."

Virata notes many Pacific Islanders also value church above work. "People take time off to help church members who are sick," he says. "A typical Western-culture worker sends a flower or card, but we go great distances to be there physically."

Mann says language barriers also affect Pacific Islanders at work. "Many Pacific Islanders are first-generation," she explains. "They pick up basic English skills but don't always comprehend the meaning of rules and policies." This can prevent them from becoming more involved at work or from getting an education to allow them to get ahead.

Pacific Islander Culture Supports Caregiver Careers

Mann calls Pacific Islanders "warm, kind, loving people." The tradition of support for extended families means workplace success for some Pacific Islander women in home and healthcare work, especially with the elderly.

The outdoor living traditions of Pacific Islanders draw men to construction and building trades. Hansen estimates that up to 85 percent of Pacific Islanders work outdoors, in positions like landscaping and concrete. These jobs pay well, Hansen says, "but unfortunately we haven't seen a need to improve ourselves. And because we send money to help people back home, we seldom keep any for ourselves. We don't invest in improving ourselves through education or buying a house."

Hansen's organization tries to help Pacific Islanders understand the importance of basic business practices such as contracting licenses and trade certifications. "Pacific Islanders are good, hard workers, but problems arise if they're not legal and certified," says Hansen. This includes uncertified female caregivers.

Assimilation and Advancement

Virata predicts Pacific Islanders will join many ethnic groups in becoming assimilated by mainstream US culture. "They may say, 'I can't take any more time off from work.' That could lead to family, cultural and workplace conflicts."

But Pacific Islanders who maintain strong cultural traditions will be marketable to employers because of their language skills and connections to an important area of the world, Virata says. "The second and third generations will take advantage of educational opportunities their parents and grandparents didn't have," he adds. Over the next 10 to 15 years, "different fields and pathways will be open, leading to managerial and executive positions."

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