Why do certain people (Vietnamese, Filipino, Gay guys, etc) dominate certain occupations?

I can not accept your premise without supporting evidence to its validity.

“I can not accept your premise without supporting evidence to its validity.”

Yes you can (because you know it is true), you just don’t want to.

Now, explain it to us.

But, if it helps, “According to the trade publication Nails Magazine, Vietnamese-Americans make up 40 percent of the U.S. nail industry.”

Nursing homes have a lot of white, black and hispanic women and men where I live.

Maybe you reside is Generalizationville?

Brushing aside the lack of stats, I’ll grant your premise just to through out some thoughts here. For starters, the gay hairdresser thing seemed a bit different than the rest. Let’s first start with Vietnamese-Americans and nail salons…

Is it possible that some found opportunity in this area, they told their friends and family, those friends and family gained experience doing this, that encouraged them to do the same, etc?
Can the same be said about Indian/Pakistani convenience store owners. Could we be talking about opportunity? The type of opportunity that gets passed on via word of mouth, experience, and friends and family?

Have you ever looked into the history of immigrants in this country and why they tended to make their living in certain professions? The historical, political, and economic realities shaped how people came here and what they did once they were here. It’s likely no different today.

Why are investment bankers most often rich white guys?

“Nursing homes have a lot of white, black and hispanic women and men where I live.

Maybe you reside is Generalizationville?”

Ya right.
What does “a lot” mean anyway?

@Charles: “What does “a lot” mean anyway?”

I don’t know. You tell me….

@Charles: “Nursing homes have a lot of Filipino people working in them.”

“Have you ever looked into the history of immigrants in this country and why they tended to make their living in certain professions?”

That’s exactly what we’re asking here. So, why didn’t we have Indian hairdressers and Vietnamese 7–11 owners?

@Charles: “What does “a lot” mean anyway?”

I don’t know. You tell me….

@Charles: _“Nursing homes have a lot of Filipino people working in them.”

Touché

@Charles, please read this article. I have often wondered about the Vietnamese nail salons. It is a very interesting fact that Vietnamese/Americans dominate the nail salon business. I say God bless them.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/05/local/me-nails5

Also, http://www.nailsmag.com/article/40129/a-vietnamese-american-dynasty

Maybe they just sort of like the work.

I can’t speak to the other “examples”. But the large number of Filipino nurses can be traced back to US occupation of the Philipines. They sponsored nursing and exchange programs back in the 40’s.

Regarding, @Nimis‘s post: http://www.minoritynurse.com/filipino-philippine-nurses/philippine-nurses-us%E2%80%94yesterday-and-today

I would have to see actual numbers, actual data, statistics, etc. before I would even accept the notion that certain people or certain types or kinds of people or nationalities of people dominate certain professions, let along hazard a guess as to why. That may be how things appear to be to you or other people, but I want to see the numbers. Things are not always as they appear to be.

People have posted some supporting evidence here, but I am reluctant to make any kind of blanket statedment about why certain people dominate certain professions and industries. It is complicated.

Having spent a few weeks in hospital during the last 7 years I’ve come across a number of Filipino nurses, both female and male and always very professional and capable with excellent English which from this patient’s perspective is essential. Here in NZ Filipino nurses must undertake further study and sit NZ nursing exams to be granted registration here, of course they need to work while doing so and I guess, given their previous training, working in a resthome would be an obvious place to look for work. I’ve always imagined that for young people in the Philippines a good qualification would be their ticket out of the country, into another and hopefully on to a life with a better future. I realise this does not answer your question fully….

From the US National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health…“an estimated 59–80% of California nail salons are run by Vietnamese women…” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18478317

@lillycoyote, I found this in my first attempt at real stats. It is late and I didn’t want to forget, so I posted it for you. I realize it is 2008 and only one state. I’ll look in the morning. Have a good night.

From the National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance, Women’s Voices for the Earth and napawf, page 2: “The majority of nail salon workers are women of color, and the largest ethnic group
represented is Vietnamese women who comprise 40% of nail technicians nationwide.”

Source: http://nailsalonalliance.org/storage/National%20Healthy%20Nail%20Salon%20Alliance%20-%20Key%20Recommendations%20for%20Federal%20Agencies%20-%20May%202011%20-%20FINAL.pdf

NAILS Magazine, 2010. Industry Statistics. NAILS Magazine 2010–11 Big Book. Available: http://files.nailsmag.com/Market-
Research/bb2010–11stats-reprints.pdf

http://files.nailsmag.com/Market-Research/bb2010-11stats-reprints.pdf