Washington ? Uncle Sam wants you especially if you are Hispanic.

This group makes up 13 percent of the population and 11 percent of the private sector work force. But Hispanics account for just 7 percent of the federal payroll.

The government’s top recruiters want that to change to better reflect the country’s shifting demographics and to reach out to the Latino population.

The growth in the Hispanic community during the 1990s exceeded all previous Census Bureau forecasts, and Hispanics now rival blacks as the nation’s largest minority group.

During the ’90s, Hispanic immigration soared from the nation’s urban centers to rural towns in the Midwest and South. Both Democrats and Republicans see winning the Latino vote as crucial for success in this year’s midterm elections and in 2004.

Is politics a factor in stepping up recruiting of Hispanics?

“I can assure you that is not the case,” said Kay Coles James, director of the Office of Personnel Management. “It’s just good government.”

“Whether it’s for political reasons or other reasons, it needs to be done now,” said Larry Gonzalez, executive director of the Washington office of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. “The bottom line for our community is that they want to see folks (in government) who look like them.”

Factors

The 2000 census showed that 31 percent of Americans consider themselves a minority, compared with about 20 percent two decades earlier. Race statistics before 2000, however, are not directly comparable because of a change in the way the Census Bureau collects such data.

Illegal immigration during the 1990s played a big role in boosting the Hispanic population. A preliminary bureau estimate placed the number of undocumented Hispanic immigrants at more than 5 million, nearly 4 million from Mexico. The numbers include those in “quasi-legal” status, such as refugees or those seeking asylum.

U.S. citizenship is required for federal employment, which could be a barrier to administration recruiting goals.

“Unfortunately, there’s no room for flexibility for hiring there,” said Cecilia Munoz, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group. “That’s a problem in all fields.”

There are other factors, too.

James said a lack of trust in the federal government and the belief that a government workplace is unwelcoming is common among Latinos.

“We’re doing an OK job right now” of attracting minorities, she said. “We need to do an excellent job.”

Strengthening recruiting efforts on college campuses and producing more advertisements for Spanish-language media are seen as important ways to reach out to Hispanics.

Government personnel officials said they would more closely monitor the efforts of other agencies. In a report last year to President Bush, James cited barriers affecting all applicants, regardless of race, such as shortening a hiring process that can take months to complete.

“The very first barrier is ignorance,” said Max Stier, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, which promotes government employment. “People literally do not know about the opportunities in the federal government.”

Thousands of federal employees will reach retirement age during the next four years, and some government analysts are concerned there will not be enough qualified workers to replace them. The current average age of the work force is 45.

Recruiting more Hispanics could help make up for retirement losses.