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It was a cultural moment in a year of swift changes. Much like the #MeToo movement brought attention to the sexual harassment of women, “Despacito” and later “Mi Gente” brought into clear view Latino artists' rising influence in the American and music scene.

With staggering numbers, both the Spanglish “Despacito” by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, and “Mi Gente” by Colombian-born J Balvin and French artist Willy Williams in full-on español, hit #1 on Spotify’s most streamed songs worldwide. READ MORE AT NBCNEWS

Whether you hit a career slump this year or, worse yet, got demoted, there's no reason to think you can't quickly turn things around. With a new year right around the corner, now's the perfect time to map out a strategy for revitalizing your career. Here are six solutions that'll help you get back on track.

1. Take initiative
If your career hasn't been progressing the way you would've liked, perhaps it's because you've allowed yourself to grow complacent in your role and responsibilities. READ MORE AT MADISON.COM

The year has been a deluge of headlines, and there were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of stories from the hemisphere that flew under the radar. From cyborgs in Brazil to water shortages in Bolivia, we take a look at some of the stories we read in the last 12 months that we’re still thinking about at the end of the year—and ones we expect to be hearing more about in 2018. READ MORE AT ASCOA

If you go by the number of people who check the “Hispanic” box in US Census Bureau forms, people of Latin American descent make up 18% of the population. But, among the adult population, there are another 5 million, who don’t consider themselves Hispanic but descend from Latin America, according estimates from Pew Research Center.

Among the estimated 42.7 million U.S. adults with Hispanic ancestry in 2015, 89%, or about 37.8 million, thought of themselves as Hispanic or Latino, but the rest did not, according to Pew surveys. By the fourth generation, half those with Hispanic background no longer consider themselves part of the group. READ MORE AT QUARTZ

It is almost the end of 2017 and as usual, many of us will begin to reflect and set resolutions for 2018. Some of these might look like: eat healthier, travel to Japan, learn a new language, clear the PTPTN debt, etc.

It’s easy to come up with a list of dreams and goals, but executing them is often the hardest part. When it comes to setting your financial resolutions, you first need to have a very strong grasp of what they are. READ MORE AT THE STAR ONLINE

Here’s some workplace news to brighten your holidays: According to a recent Indeed.com survey, 61% of employers plan to hire more people in 2018 than in 2017 and 40% are worried about finding enough good people to fill those openings.

It’s not just tech and health care firms who are poised to hire. Indeed.com says a diverse group of industries plan to be on the hunt, with architecture, engineering, IT, telecom and professional service firms at the top of the list. READ MORE AT FORBES

For many consumers, grocery shopping and meal preparation isn’t very exciting. But the research from Acosta and Univision paints a different picture for Hispanic shoppers, who often approach buying groceries as an enjoyable activity for couples and families rather than a solitary chore. Food shopping and meal preparation provide the chance to explore new ingredients and make new recipes.

This sentiment is a boon for grocers, especially with the increase of the Hispanic population — currently listed at 54 million, or 17% of the population, per Census data. READ MORE AT FOOD DIVE

The word diversity and its close relatives, inclusion and equality, are positive by most objective standards and dictionaries.

Yet when they fall on certain ears, these words can raise hackles and bring out hives. And it’s interesting to ask, why is that? Why wouldn’t someone subscribe to the great Australian maxim of a fair go for all? How can they see the words diversity and inclusion then register something negative lurking in their semantics? READ MORE AT THE FIFTH ESTATE

Latino students have made progress closing the college graduation gap between themselves and their white peers, but results vary widely by institution, a new study shows.

The college graduation gap between Latinos and whites is 10 percentage points on average, according to A Look at Latino Student Success, a new report from the Education Trust.

Still, as more Latinos have enrolled in college, more are graduating, which has meant that the gap with their white peers narrowed by 2.7 percentage points between 2002 and 2015. On average, 53.6 percent of Latinos earn a bachelor’s degree within in six years, compared with 63.3 percent of whites. READ MORE AT THE HECHINGER REPORT

As the world becomes more competitive each day, it has become imperative to understand one’s strengths and weaknesses at an early stage. Be it in business, technology, hospitality, healthcare, you name it—interacting with the industry players on a regular basis has become a necessity.

Here’s six networking tips for MBA students:

1. Network with a plan

Networking is a very broad concept, and it often leads to being delusional. You can talk to 100 people and not get anything out of it, or you can talk to five people and land a great job or a mentor.

 READ MORE AT BUSINESSBECAUSE

Hispanics in the U.S. have quickly become one of the fastest growing minorities in the U.S. This is no surprise. However, many companies seem to be marketing a general Hispanic audience and not dissecting into smaller categories, such as third generation Hispanics.

Hispanics in the U.S. have quickly become one of the fastest growing minorities in the U.S. This is no surprise. However, many companies seem to be marketing a general Hispanic audience and not dissecting into smaller categories, such as third generation Hispanics. READ MORE AT ABASTO

At Downey Nissan in Downey, Calif., two women — a Hispanic marketing director and a Nepalese general sales manager — have teamed up to lead a sales surge to Hispanic consumers.

Through August, Downey Nissan sold 1,899 new vehicles to Hispanic customers. That was almost double the 970 new vehicles in the year-earlier period. Through November, the store is the Nissan brand's leader in selling to Hispanic customers.

Nationwide, Hispanics have become a critical demographic in light-vehicle sales. At Honda, for example, "All of our sales growth over the last year has been [from sales to] Hispanics," says Vicki Poponi, vice president of automotive marketing operations for American Honda. Through November, Honda brand U.S. sales rose 1.4 percent, against an industrywide decline of 1.4 percent. READ MORE AT AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

The unemployment rate among Latino and Hispanic Americans fell to 4.7 percent in November, the lowest level on records since 1973.

That figure comes with an asterisk, though: Like other categories of the U.S. population, a smaller proportion of Latinos either have a job or are looking for one than before the Great Recession. Many have retired or are staying in school or caring for family members. The proportion of Latinos with jobs remains below its prerecession peak. READ MORE AT THE GAZATTE

December is a busy month. You’re trying to tie up loose ends as the year winds down, scrambling to find gifts for family and friends, attending a variety of holiday events, and gearing up for the start of another year. It can be easy to think that, just as you’re super busy, employers are too. Hitting pause on your job search can seem logical; you’ll get started again after January 1.

However, keeping your job search moving forward during the holidays can actually pay off. The end of the year can actually be a great time to land a new job because employers are trying to fill any lingering job openings and start off the new year with a full team. READ MORE AT BUSINESS2COMMUNITY

As the U.S. faces a need for more Latino lawyers, there’s a nationally renowned local university that can help prepare young Latinos for a career in the world of law.

According to a report from NBC News (link is external) earlier this year, Hispanics represent 18 percent of the U.S. population but comprise only 4 percent of the nation’s lawyers. For Latinas, specifically, the numbers are even more concerning, as they represent less than 2 percent of lawyers in the country.

“It is a huge problem, and it has been a problem for a long time,” Erica V. Mason, President of the Hispanic National Bar Association, said in the NBC report. “Every single aspect of society is impacted in meaningful ways by attorneys, including lawmakers, politicians, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and in-house corporate attorneys who make policies that companies follow.”

Any young Latino who aspires to be a solution to this problem within the legal profession should be aware of the Penn Law Pre-College Summer Academy (link is external) at the University of Pennsylvania, a program designed for high school juniors and seniors considering a law career. READ MORE AT ALL DIA DAILY

We’ve all been there. There’s a company holiday party you’d rather not attend – or maybe your next door neighbors are throwing an event that you just can’t avoid. Whatever the occasion, these parties can be draining during the holidays. This is especially true for those of us who are introverts, or who have other commitments such as children or a demanding job. It can feel like there’s just no room for another to do on the list.

But, if you’re planning to be on the job market next year, holiday parties can truly be the perfect place to kick off your search. READ MORE AT DESOTO-TIMES TRIBUNE

The technology sector is the vanguard of innovation, but it still looks like a good ol’ boys network.

Not only is it made up overwhelmingly of white men, but the percentage of tech workers who are black decreased in recent years, while the portion of women in the industry was stagnant and the level of Hispanic workers was nearly flat.

A new report by Washington’s chief watchdog says federal agencies can help change that by doing more to diversify the technology sector. READ MORE AT THE WASHINGTON POST

As in most cultures, shopping and gift-giving are important parts of the holiday season for many Hispanics. According to recent research by ThinkNow Retail, 33 percent of Hispanics say they will be spending more this holiday season than they did last year, compared to 30 percent across all markets. Some other interesting findings from the study include:

–About 41 percent of Hispanics plan to pay for most of their holiday purchases with a debit card, higher than any other market. Cash and credit tie for second among Hispanics at 24 percent each.

–Smartphones will be the most commonly used device for making online holiday purchases among Hispanics. About 62 percent of Hispanics will use a smartphone, compared to 50 percent across all markets. READ MORE AT CUINSIGHT

Doing business in Latin America can be a slow and complicated process.

The most recent report from Doing Business makes that evident, as the World Bank publication revealed its ranking of the difficulty of working in various countries. Only one country in Latin America placed within the top 50.

Mexico scored 77.27 out of 100 points, putting it at the 49 spot overall. Other countries, such as Chile, Peru and Colombia, placed in the top 60, while Costa Rica came in at 61. READ MORE AT PANAMPOST

Latino Americans are starting businesses at three times the rate of the general population thus playing an important role in driving US economic vibrancy through their outsized contribution to new business creation. However, Latino-owned businesses (LOBs) fail to scale in size and revenue at the same rate of other businesses, presenting an opportunity gap of $1.38 trillion for the US economy.

In order to address the untapped potential of LOBs and its cascading effect on the wider economy through unrealized economic growth, the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program released the report Unleashing Latino-owned Business Potential. READ MORE AT CISION