New Analysis Finds People of Color and Immigrants are Disproportionately Harmed by Labor-Market Impacts of COVID-19

Dear Atlas Users,

The brutal murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police was a stark reminder of the racism that permeates our institutions, threatens Black life, and diminishes us as a nation. We cannot achieve inclusive prosperity without addressing police brutality, and the Atlas team stands in solidarity with those protesting this unjust system and calling for transformative change. We are working hard to finalize the new Atlas system upgrade to share with you later this month, and have been partnering with other data providers to assess the unequal economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by race, gender, nativity, and occupation. Here are a few highlights:

New Analysis: Disaggregated Data on Economic Impacts of COVID-19 for US and 10 Metros

Today, in partnership with Burning Glass Technologies and JPMorgan Chase, we released the most comprehensive analysis to date of the labor market effects of the coronavirus pandemic, aiming to inform equity-focused relief and recovery strategies. In addition to the US, we analyzed 10 metro regions: Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, San Francisco, and Seattle. Our analysis reveals that people of color and immigrants are concentrated in occupations that have experienced the steepest declines in job opportunities and will likely be among the last to recover, putting Black, Latinx, and Native American workers at heightened risk of long-term unemployment. People of color are also overrepresented in low-wage essential jobs, and Native Americans and immigrants are most concentrated in essential jobs where opportunities are declining. Among the 10 regions, the economic impacts of the virus are uneven: metros with large tourism sectors (like Nashville and Miami) have been hit particularly hard, while diversified regional economies with strong tech sectors (like Seattle and SF) have fared somewhat better. Read the full analysis here.

New Profile of Bay Area Essential Workers

In May, the Bay Area Equity Atlas released three new analyses focused on frontline workers in the region, including two deep dives into workforce demographics in Sonoma and Santa Clara counties. We found that frontline workers in these counties and the Bay overall are disproportionately Latinx, Black, and women of color, which could help explain why these populations are more likely to contract COVID-19. Latinx workers represent 22 percent of workers in all industries but 31 percent of frontline workers while Black workers, who account for just 5 percent of all workers in the region, are concentrated in specific frontline industries including public transit (23 percent) and postal services (11 percent). These workers are more likely to live in poverty, lack health insurance, and have no internet access at home. Read our analyses here. Check out media coverage of this research from KQEDSF Gate, and La Opinion.

National Equity Atlas In the News

  • Ron Brownstein at The Atlantic analyzed National Equity Atlas data and corresponded with Atlas team members to inform his new article about how racial inequity is “the crack in the foundation of cities’ new prosperity.” Looking at data on median wages for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis, he found that racial wage gaps have grown in all of those cities between 1980 and 2015.
     
  • E&E News published an article describing the criticism and subsequent revision of CDC guidelines encouraging workers to commute alone in private vehicles to slow the spread of the coronavirus, lifting up Atlas data showing that nearly 20 percent of Black households and 12 percent of Latinx households do not have access to a car, compared to 6.5 percent of White households. "So yes, there is a race and class bias in saying, 'You can just drive to work,'" said Basav Sen, climate justice project director at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Thank you for your interest in our work.

-- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE)

How Our Data Helped Advance the Equity Movement in 2020

Dear Atlas Users,

Happy Holidays from the National Equity Atlas Team! This has been a year of tremendous economic and social turmoil. From the unfathomable human and economic costs of the Covid-19 pandemic to the murder of George Floyd and the national outcry against police brutality that followed, systemic racism has been at the forefront of public consciousness. In this pivotal moment, we are proud to have deepened our work with community advocates, broadened the reach of the Atlas, and strengthened our capacity to democratize the power of disaggregated data. Here are a few highlights:

Revamped Atlas Offers Updated Data, New Indicators and Features

In July, we released comprehensive updates to the National Equity Atlas This refresh includes new data visualization and mapping infrastructure, two new indicators (life expectancy and the economic benefits of eliminating rent burden), data and powerpoint downloads, more contextual information and examples, and more robust and up-to-date data. Check out our webinar training, designed to equip Atlas users with the know-how to access, understand, share, and use our data tools.

New Racial Equity Index Offers Comparative Snapshot of Equity in US Cities, Regions, and States

Our new Racial Equity Index tool is designed to help advocates identify key issue areas and populations for advancing racial equity in their communities. Based on nine Atlas indicators scored by both prosperity and inclusion, the Index includes a summary score that provides a snapshot of how well a given place is performing compared to its peers. Start here to learn more. 

Atlas Analyses Power Campaigns to Protect Renters from Eviction

The Atlas team supported the Our Homes, Our Health housing justice effort by producing eviction risk fact sheets for local campaigns in states, counties, and cities throughout the US. These resources include data on how many households are currently at risk of eviction, which households are rent burdened and economically insecure by race/ethnicity and gender, and the first-hand experience of renters impacted by the economic downturn. Find our complete set of factsheets here.

Bay Area Equity Atlas Provides Unparalleled Insights on Racial Equity in the Region

Our landmark regional equity atlas produced a variety of analyses this year that shed light on ongoing inequities in the Bay Area. Our police use-of-force report revealed that Black residents in wealthy suburbs and core cities experience disproportionate levels of police violence while our diversity of electeds analysis found that 80 of the Bay Area’s 101 cities have no Black leaders. Finally, our regularly-updating Covid dashboard, which tracks case rates by Zip code, revealed the outsized impact of the pandemic on Black and Latinx communities. Check out all our analyses and sign up for our newsletter here.

Disaggregated Data on Economic Impacts of Covid-19 Point the Way to an Equitable Recovery

Throughout the year we released several reports analyzing the rapidly evolving Covid-19 economy, and the ways in which people of color have been disproportionately harmed. These efforts include our June analysis of the early labor market impacts of the pandemic and our recent report examining longer-standing racial gaps in labor market outcomes and access to good jobs as well as the economic impacts of Covid-19 and the racial equity implications of automation. Through the Bay Area Equity Atlas, we produced a profile of the Bay Area's essential workforce, and we also partnered with San Juan College to create a research brief on the impact of the Covid pandemic and resulting economic fallout in New Mexico.

Atlas in the News

Our data and reports have been covered by various local and national media outlets and articles, including The Atlantic, Fast Company, and Next City, which all reported on findings from our Racial Equity Index. Outlets such as Politico and SFGate covered findings from our analyses, including our reports on workforce equity and Covid labor market demographics. Eliza McCullough also wrote an op-ed for Fast Company that argues Smart Cities must do more to ensure that residents of color thrive. See a complete list of media coverage here.

We have big plans for the coming year, including new analyses, data tools, and partnerships, so stay tuned. Thank you for your continued interest in our work!

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)

Just Released: New California Eviction Data and Five Regional Blueprints for Workforce Equity

Dear Atlas Users,

Happy 2021 from the National Equity Atlas team! While this new year brings changes in federal and local administrations, the devastating impacts of Covid-19 continue, particularly for communities of color. The Atlas team remains focused on leveraging our data capacity to support the movement for racial and economic equity—producing unique analyses, building partnerships, and sharing our work with the field to strengthen local organizing and policy efforts. Here are some updates:

Five Regional Reports Highlight Workforce Inequities and Strategies for an Equitable Recovery

As our nation faces overlapping and interconnected public health and economic crises, now is a critical time to move beyond a narrow skills-driven approach to workforce development and dismantle the structural and systemic barriers that lead to deep racial inequities in the labor market. This week, we released five new reports that will catalyze action on workforce equity in Boston (with SkillWorks), Chicago (with the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance), Dallas (with Pathways to Work), the San Francisco Bay Area (with ReWork the Bay), and Seattle (with the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County). These reports are part of the Advancing Workforce Equity project, a partnership between the National Equity Atlas, Burning Glass Technologies, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, and with support from JPMorgan Chase.

On January 26, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions hosted a virtual launch event which featured local leaders from each community as well as Angela Glover Blackwell (PolicyLink), Amanda Cage (National Fund for Workforce Solutions), and Monique Baptiste (JPMorgan Chase & Co).

Atlas Team Finds Over One Million Californians are Behind on Rent

In partnership with Housing NOW! California, we produced a fact sheet that sheds new light on the magnitude of the rent debt challenge in California and its potential impacts on racial equity, household finances, and public health. Based on the latest Census Household Pulse Survey data, 1.1 million renter households in California—one in five—are currently behind on their rent. We estimate that the average rent debt per household is $3,400 and the total rent debt in California is about $3.7 billion. The vast majority of those behind rent are low-wage workers of color disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, revealing how clearing this debt is critical to prevent the growth of the racial wealth gap and make an equitable recovery possible. Our findings were covered by news stations including NBC Bay AreaKRON4CBS Local, and KION 546.

Analysis Reveals Large Disparities in Unemployment Filings by Race and Education

Using data from California Policy Lab, our recent analysis highlights how California’s Black workers are experiencing disproportionate unemployment in the Covid recession due to structural racism embedded in the labor market. About 85 percent of California’s Black workforce has filed for unemployment at some point since March 15, which is more than double the rate for White, Latinx, and Asian or Pacific Islander workers. Virtually all Black workers with no post-secondary education (99 percent) have filed for unemployment insurance since March. Immediate policy changes, from expanded unemployment insurance benefits to building worker power, is required to overcome these dramatic disparities driven by racism embedded in our labor markets and education system. Read the analysis here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)

Tackling Structural Racism Key to an Equitable Recovery in California

Data on unemployment filings in California reveals how the Black working class has been hardest hit by the Covid recession, underscoring the need for targeted, race-conscious recovery strategies. 

By Eliza McCullough

While the economic crisis has affected a startling number of workers, workers of color and low-wage workers have been hit the hardest. In California, 8.7 million workers (nearly 45 percent of the labor force) have filed for unemployment insurance (UI) since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. But job displacement has varied dramatically by race and education, as illustrated by the  California Policy Lab’s recent analysis of UI claims data. This post highlights how California’s Black workers are experiencing disproportionate unemployment in the Covid recession due to structural racism embedded in the labor market, and describes policy priorities to ensure an equitable recovery.

About 85 percent of California’s Black workforce has filed for unemployment at some point since March 15th, which is more than double the rate for White, Latinx, and Asian or Pacific Islander workers. This includes workers who filed for either regular UI or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), a program created by the CARES Act to extend benefits to workers not usually eligible for regular UI.* 

This unemployment crisis for Black workers in a time of economic contraction threatens to increase already-wide racial inequities in employment. Structural racism embedded in the US labor market has created barriers to employment for Black workers that predate the current recession, ranging from employer bias and discrimination to residential segregation and mass incarceration. Black workers are typically the group hardest hit by economic downturns and are often the last to recover, as evidenced during the Great Recession when Black workers disproportionately suffered from long-term unemployment. The current economic crisis has most negatively impacted the hospitality, retail, and tourism sectors, industries in which Black workers are concentrated due in large part to discriminatory public policies that restricted Black workers’ access to better-paying jobs in other industries (a phenomenon known as “occupational segregation”). As these service sectors have gone through massive lay-offs, Black employees have been subject to the “last hired, first fired” phenomenon in which low-wage positions are the first to be eliminated.

Further disaggregating the data by race and educational attainment, we see that racial inequities are particularly extreme among workers without four-year degrees. Workers of all races with lower education levels have been hardest hit by the Covid recession: More than half of California workers with a high school degree or less (who account for 38 percent of all workers in the state) have filed for unemployment since March 2020 compared to 13 percent of workers with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. But unemployment filings are particularly high for Black workers without post-secondary education: virtually all Black workers with a high school degree or less (99 percent) have filed for unemployment, along with 75 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander workers with this level of education, compared with 52 percent of White workers and 33 percent of Latinx workers.

Black workers are overrepresented in lower education groups due to deep-seated structures of racial exclusion which have created significant barriers to accessing higher education. Residential segregation, perpetuated by exclusionary zoning, has led to the concentration of low-income Black children in schools with inadequate resources, which researchers have found is the key driver of the educational achievement gap. Along with the rising costs of college, these barriers prevent many Black students from accessing post-secondary education. As middle-wage jobs have shrunk in recent decades, Black workers with no higher education have been pushed into low-wage, ‘flexible’ positions with minimal protections. These jobs have been most impacted by wage cuts, diminished hours, and layoffs during the current economic crisis. 

Toward an Equitable Economic Recovery

Black workers and other workers of color are in dire need of increased supports in California and nationwide. Policymakers and business leaders must take action to address immediate economic needs as we enter the eleventh month of the pandemic. At the same time, they must launch forward-thinking, race-conscious strategies that lay the foundation for an equitable recovery and future economy. We recommend the following:

  1. Continue expanded UI benefits and provide direct cash support. Additional UI payments under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program should be increased back to $600/week (as provided from March to July). Additional and ongoing direct payments, such as the one-time $1,200 payments included in the CARES Act, could also provide a lifeline to unemployed workers and Black workers who are less likely to have adequate savings to fall back on.

  2. Prevent evictions and foreclosures and provide debt relief to Covid-impacted households. As unemployed workers are more likely to be behind on rent and California’s Black renters are already paying unaffordable rent, policymakers must extend eviction moratoriums and provide rent debt relief. Limited rental assistance funds should be targeted to the hardest-hit households, particularly those in predominantly Black neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color, to prevent displacement and homelessness.  

  3. Protect existing jobs. Multiple cities have passed legislation to ensure that laid-off workers in low-wage sectors can return to their former jobs. For example, Oakland’s Right to Recall policy requires employers in hospitality and travel to give laid-off workers priority when operations resume. Similar policies that protect jobs across sectors should also be implemented at the state and federal levels to ensure low-wage workers do not suffer from long-term joblessness or decreases in income and benefits. 

  4. Build worker power. Unions have been shown to reduce racial inequality and provide economic security for Black workers. California policymakers must repeal Prop 22, which misclassifies app-based drivers as independent contractors and prevents their access to basic labor protections. Legislation that empowers workers, such as AB3075 which holds employers more accountable for wage theft, should be strengthened and expanded to ensure that recessions are less catastrophic for low-wage workers. Finally, California must increase funding for enforcement of labor and employment laws while also making state financial support for businesses conditional based on compliance with those laws.

  5. Create high-quality public jobs accessible to unemployed workers. A Federal Job Guarantee would ensure everyone has access to living-wage jobs while meeting the physical and care infrastructure needs of disinvested communities. Policymakers should take immediate steps to support unemployed workers through direct job creation in crucial sectors, like the Public Health Jobs Corp program proposed by President-elect Biden. 

  6. Expand access to upskilling opportunities and stable career pathways. Policymakers should proactively connect unemployed workers to good jobs by investing in workforce development, including higher education and training programs that reach Black workers, and enacting community workforce agreements on state-funded projects. Programs such as California’s Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative, which funds workforce development programs for those with barriers to employment, should be strengthened and expanded while business leaders should commit to advancing equitable employment practices and offering good job opportunities to workers hard-hit by the pandemic.

     

*The California Employment Development Department defines workforce as all individuals residing in California who worked at least one hour per month for a wage or salary, were self-employed, or worked at least 15 unpaid hours per month in a family business. Those who were on vacation or on other kinds of leave were also included. 

Tackling Structural Racism Key to an Equitable Recovery in California

By Eliza McCullough, Sarah Treuhaft, and Abigail Langston

Data on unemployment filings in California reveals how the Black working class has been hardest hit by the Covid recession, underscoring the need for targeted, race-conscious recovery strategies. 

While the economic crisis has affected a startling number of workers, workers of color and low-wage workers have been hit the hardest. In California, 8.7 million workers (nearly 45 percent of the labor force) have filed for unemployment insurance (UI) since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. But job displacement has varied dramatically by race and education, as illustrated by the  California Policy Lab’s recent analysis of UI claims data. This post highlights how California’s Black workers are disproportionately experiencing unemployment in the Covid recession due to structural racism embedded in the labor market and describes policy priorities to ensure an equitable recovery.

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About 85 percent of California’s Black workforce has filed for unemployment at some point since March 15th, which is more than double the rate for White, Latinx, and Asian or Pacific Islander workers. This includes workers who filed for either regular UI or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), a program created by the CARES Act to extend benefits to gig and contract workers. 

This disproportionate unemployment crisis for Black workers in a time of economic contraction threatens to increase already-wide racial inequities in employment. Structural racism embedded in the US labor market has created barriers to employment for Black workers that predate the current recession, ranging from employer bias and discrimination to residential segregation and mass incarceration. Black workers are typically the hardest hit group during economic downturns and are often the last to recover, as evidenced by the Great Recession when Black workers disproportionately suffered from long-term unemployment. The current economic crisis has most negatively impacted the hospitality, retail, and tourism sectors: industries in which Black workers are concentrated due in large part to discriminatory public policies that restricted Black workers’ access to better-paying jobs in other industries (a phenomenon known as “occupational segregation”). As these service sectors have gone through massive lay-offs, Black employees have been subject to the “last hired, first fired” phenomenon in which low-wage positions are first to go over higher seniority jobs.

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Further disaggregating the data by race and educational attainment, we see that racial inequities are particularly extreme among workers without four-year degrees. Workers of all races with lower education levels have been hardest hit by the Covid recession: 52 percent of California’s workers with a high school degree or less (who account for 38 percent of all workers in the state) have filed for unemployment since March 2020 compared to 13 percent of workers with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. But unemployment filings are particularly high for Black workers without post-secondary education: virtually all Black workers with a high school degree or less (99 percent) have filed for unemployment, along with 75 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander workers with this level of education, compared with 52 percent of White workers and 33 percent of Latinx workers.

Black workers are overrepresented in lower education groups due to deep-seated structures of racial exclusion which have created significant barriers to accessing higher education. Residential segregation, perpetuated by exclusionary zoning, has led to the concentration of low-income Black children in schools with inadequate resources (the school poverty indicator on the Atlas), which researchers have found is the key driver of the educational achievement gap. Along with the rising cost of college, these barriers prevent many Black students from accessing post-secondary education. As middle-wage jobs have shrunk in recent decades, Black workers with no higher education have been pushed into low-wage, ‘flexible’ positions with minimal protections. These jobs have been most impacted by wage cuts, diminished hours, and layoffs during the current economic crisis. 

Toward an Equitable Economic Recovery

Black workers and other workers of color are in dire need of increased supports in California and nationwide. Policymakers and business leaders must take action to address immediate economic needs as we enter the eleventh month of the pandemic. At the same time, they must launch forward-thinking, race-conscious strategies that  lay the foundation for an equitable recovery and future economy. We recommend the following:

  1. Continue expanded UI benefits and provide direct cash support. Additional UI payments under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program should be increased back to $600/week (as provided from March to July) while gig workers and independent contractors must remain eligible for unemployment assistance. Additional and ongoing direct payments, such as the one-time $1,200 payments included in the CARES Act, could also provide a lifeline to unemployed workers and Black workers who are less likely to have adequate savings to fall back on.

  2. Prevent evictions and foreclosures and provide debt relief to Covid-impacted households. As unemployed workers are more likely to be behind on rent, policymakers must extend eviction moratoriums and provide rent debt relief. Rental assistance funds must target limited resources to the hardest-hit households, particularly those in predominantly Black neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color to prevent displacement and homelessness.  

  3. Protect existing jobs. Multiple cities have passed legislation that ensures employers in low-wage sectors guarantee laid-off workers return to their former jobs, such as Oakland’s Right to Recall policy which requires employers in hospitality and travel to give laid-off workers priority when operations resume. Similar policies that protect jobs across sectors must be passed at the state and federal level to ensure low-wage workers do not suffer from long-term decreases in income, benefits, or joblessness. 

  4. Build worker power. Unions have been shown to reduce racial inequality and provide economic security for Black workers. California policymakers must repeal Prop 22, which misclassifies app-based drivers as independent contractors and prevents their access to basic labor protections. Legislation that empowers workers, such as AB3075 which holds employers more accountable to wage theft, should be strengthened and expanded to ensure that recessions are less catastrophic for low-wage workers. 

  5. Create high-quality public jobs accessible to unemployed workers. A Federal Job Guarantee would ensure everyone has access to living-wage jobs while meeting the physical and care infrastructure needs of disinvested communities. Policymakers should take immediate steps to support unemployed workers through direct job creation in crucial sectors, like the Public Health Jobs Corp program proposed by President-Elect Biden.

  6. Expand access to stable career pathways. Policymakers should proactively connect unemployed workers to good jobs by  investing in workforce development, including higher education and training programs that reach  Black workers, and enacting community workforce agreements on state-funded projects. Programs such as California’s Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative, which funds workforce development programs for those with barriers to employment, should be strengthened and expanded while business leaders should commit to advancing equitable employment practices and offering good job opportunities to workers hard-hit by the pandemic.

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