The Hispanic population’s well-being plays an increasingly important role in regional and national economic prosperity. Hispanic workers’ skills and education will help determine the future productivity of the labor force and competitiveness of U.S. industry.

Mexico’s sharp first-quarter slowdown isn’t entirely surprising. While the country has made considerable economic advances in recent years, its growth is closely tied to that of its northern neighbor, and the U.S. economy stalled at year-end. Some Mexico indicators, such as industrial...

Even while the state is adding a disproportionate share of jobs, its record of robust employment growth has been clouded by questions concerning the quality of the new positions.

Amid reports of the nation’s weak economic recovery, high unemployment and slow job growth, attention has turned to Texas, the only large state on track to surpass its prerecession peak employment by year-end. Since the U.S. recession concluded in 2009, Texas employment has grown 3.3 percent,...