Challenges in Job Placement for African-Americans: Insights from a Virtual Town Hall
The Black Live Empowerment Forum II discussed the persistent challenges in job placement for African-Americans, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event highlighted historical disparities, such as the impact of the Spanish Flu on persons of color, and presented current demographic and labor market information for California and Los Angeles County. Gregory P. Irish, Executive Director of Workforce Development Board in Los Angeles, shed light on the disparities and discussed strategies for empowering the Black community.
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BLACK LIVE EMPOWERMENT FORUM II (A VIRTUAL TOWN HALL ON EMPOWERING THE BLACK COMMUNITY) JOB PLACEMENT: A PERSISTENT CHALLENGE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN'S, ESPECIALLY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC GREGORY P. IRISH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD, CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CA
WEVE BEEN HERE BEFORE! A Virus, THE SPANISH FLU, killed 675,000 people in the U.S. (Nearly 0.8% of the 1910 Population) and Forty Million People Worldwide from Early Spring 1918 through Late Spring 1919. These Years also Marked the Height of U.S. Involvement in World War I. In All Recorded History, only the Black Death that Occurred throughout Europe from 1348-1351 killed more People (Roughly, 60 Million) over a Similar Time Span.
Spanish Flu Mortality Rate were Higher among Persons of Color.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY POPULATION BY RACE (ACS DATA) TOTAL 10,079,000 WHITE 2,659,050 26.33% ASIAN 1,451,560 14.37% BLACK 795, 505 7.88% OTHER 254,204 2.51% NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER 24,821 .25% 20,307 .20% AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE HISPANICS / LATINO 4,874, 553 48.46/5
CITY OF LOS ANGELES POPULATION BY RACE TOTAL: 4,015,940 WHITE 1,127310 28.70% ASIAN 455,133 11.49% BLACK 340, 688 8.60% OTHER 101, 808 2.57% AMERICAN INDIAN /ALASKA NATIVE 6,091 .15% NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER 5,754 .15% HISPANIC / LATINO 1,979,156 48.57%
LABOR MARKET INFORMATION JUNE 2019 CALIFORNIA Labor Force Employed 19,297,400 18,493,900 Unemployed Unemployment Rate 4.2% 803,500 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES Labor Force Employed 4,840,800 Unemployed Unemployment Rate 5,076,100 235,300 4.6% CITY OF LOS ANGELES Labor Force Employed 1,960,100 2,056,700
LABOR MARKET INFORMATION JUNE 2020 CALIFORNIA Labor Force Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate 18,912,000 16,065,400 2,846,600 15.1% COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES Labor Force Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate 4,911,400 3,954,200 957,300 19.5% CITY OF LOS ANGELES Labor Force Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate 2,003,800 1,606,500 397,300 19.8%
CALIFORNIA, LA COUNTY, AND LA CITY JOB LOSES IN DOMINANT INDUSTRY SECTORS (JUNE 2019 JUNE 2020) CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSPORTATION / GOODS MOVEMENT INTERNATIONAL TRADE MANUFACTURING SERVICES HOSPITALITY / TOURISM / LEISURE / ENTERTAINMENT
ONE MILLION CALIFORNIANS HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM EMPLOYMENT DURING THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. 8.2 MILLION UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED WITH THE STATE SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN. THAT S 19% OF ALL U.S. CLAIMS FILED NATIONALLY. SUPPLEMENTAL UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO DISPLACED WORKERS OF $300 TO $600 PER WEEK, PROVIDED UNDER THE FEDERAL CARES ACT, EXPIRED ON JULY 31,2020.
THE CARES ACT ALSO FINANCED A PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM THAT PROVIDED ASSISTANCE TO VULNERABLE BUSINESSES IN EXCHANGE FOR DEFERRING WORKER LAYOFFS FROM 8 TO 24 WEEKS. BY THE END OF JUNE, CALIFORNIA BUSINESSES RECEIVED $68.2 BILLION IN PAYROLL PROTECTION PROGRAM LOANS OR 13% OF THE TOTAL LOANS ISSUED NATIONALLY. 6.9 MILLION JOBS / WORKERS WERE RETAINED IN CALIFORNIA AS A RESULT OF PAYROLL PROTECTION PRGRAM LOANS.
THERE HAVE BEEN A SERIES OF STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS STARTING IN MARCH AND ISSUED BY STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WHICH DICTATED THE CLOSURE OF BARS, RESTAURANTS, GYMS, RECREATION FACILITIES, PLACES OF WORKSHOP, SCHOOLS, ETC. SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE IMPLEMENTED ON-LINE / DISTANCE LEARINING FOR THEIR STUDENTS.
CHALLENGES TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN EMPLOYMENT ACCORDING TO ANALYSIS OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN CALIFORNIA AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS, 22% OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND 26% HISPANIC/LATINOS ARE JOBLESS, COMPARED TO 17% FOR BOTH WHITE AND ASIAN WORKERS. (UCLA LATINO POLICY AND POLITICS INITIATIVE AND UCLA CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD ACKNOWLEDGE) AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES IN CALIFORNIA ARE MOST LIKELY TO FIND THEMSELVES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE INCOME DISTRIBUTION LADDER. THEY ARE ABOUT TWO TIMES MORE LIKELY TO EARNING AT LOW INCOME LEVELS THAN AT HIGH INCOME LEVELS. FOR WHITE FAMILIES IN THE STATE THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE: THEY ARE MORE THAN TWICE AS LIKELY TO EARNING AT THE TOP OF THE DISTRIBUTUION LADDER. (PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA) WEALTH IS MORE UNEVENLY DISTRIBUTED THAN INCOME; MEANING THAT THOSE WITH LOWER INCOMES HAVE FEWER OVERALL RESOURCES TO RELY UPON IN TIMES OF ECONOMIC CRISIS. DATA IS LIMITED WHEN COMES TO WEALTH AND RACE IN CALIFORNIA, BUT NATIONWIDE A WHITE FAMILY OF MEDIAN WEALTH HAS MORE THAN EIGHT TIMES THE RESOURCES OF AN AFRICAN- AMERICAN FAMILY OF MEDIAN WEALTH, A GAP THAT HAS GROWN IN RECENT YEARS. (PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA)
CHALLENGES TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN EMPLOYMENT (CONTD) BLACK AND HISPANIC/LATINO STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN ON-LINE LEARING/DISTANCE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS TEN TO TWENTY PERCENT LOWER THAN THEIR PEERS. (RECENTLY RELEASED LAUSD REPORT) THERE ARE OBVIOUS INEQUITIES IN THE AWARD OF LOANS TO MINORITY BUSINESSES UNDER THE FEDERAL PAYROLL PROTECTION PROGRAM. MOST OF THE PAYROLL LOANS WERE MADE TO BUSINESS IN LOCATED IN WEST LOS ANGELES AND HOLLYWOOD. (LOS ANGELES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION) THE MAJOR OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CALIFORNIANS HAVE SOME EDUCATION, BUT THEY ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY THAN WHITES TO HOLD A FOUR YEAR DEGREE OR HIGHER (25% VS. 44%). (PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA) AFRICAN-AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES LEAVE SCHOOL LESS PREPARED TO ATTEND CALIFORNIA S UNIVERSITIES: ABOUT 31% OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS MEET STANDARDS TO ENTER THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OR CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS, WHILE NEARLY 49% OF WHITE STUDENTS DO SO. (PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA) EDCUATION GAPS ARE EVERYWHERE: IN FOURTH GRADE, TWICE THE PERCENTAGE OF WHITE CHILDREN THAN AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN MEET ENGLISH STANDARDS (64% VS. 32%) AND MORE THAN TWICE MET MATH STANDARDS (60% VS. 25%). THE PANDEMIC IS FURTHER EXACERBATING THESE INEQUITIES. (PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA)
CHALLENGES TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN EMPLOYMENT (CONTD) PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY EMPLOYED IN FRONTLINE JOBS AND FACE GREATER RISK OF EXPOSURE TO COVID-19 IN THEIR WORKPLACE. HISPANIC/LATINO WORKERS HAVE THE HIGHEST RATE OF EMPLOYMENT IN THESE JOBS (55%) FOLLOWED BY AFRICAN-AMERICAN (48%). (UC BERKELEY LABOR CENTER) BECAUSE OF IRREGULAR AND INCONSISTENT EMPLOYMENT AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE LESS LIKELY TO QUALIFY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS. (LOS ANGELES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION) AFRICAN-AMERCIAN WORKERS ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN PROFESSIONAL, CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURING, AND HOSPITALITY JOBS. (LOS ANGELES BLACK WORKERS CENTER AND UCLA LABOR CENTER)
