The Columbus regional economy is strong and growing quickly, but racial inequities in the workforce threaten the region’s future prosperity. This report, produced in partnership with Emsi Burning Glass, One Columbus, and the Workforce Innovation Center, provides a comprehensive analysis of long-standing racial gaps in labor market outcomes, the economic impacts of Covid-19, and the racial equity implications of automation. Our in-depth analysis of disaggregated equity indicators and labor market dynamics found that only 42 percent of the region’s workers are in future-ready jobs, that Black workers with an associate’s degree earn on average the same wages as white workers with just a high school diploma, and that eliminating racial inequities in income could boost the Columbus regional economy by about $10 billion a year. The report concludes with actionable solutions to advance workforce equity across the region, informed by the data and shaped by local leaders. Download the report.

Media: Racial Inequities Cost Columbus Economy $10 Billion a Year, Report Finds (The Columbus Dispatch)

The coronavirus had disproportionate economic and health impacts on low-income workers and workers of color and deepened existing inequities along lines of race, class, and gender. In response to the pandemic, most state and many local governments convened task forces of cross-sector leaders to advise on how to respond to the public health and economic crisis. To understand the promise and success of these task forces in relation to racial equity and worker justice, we analyzed the scope, approach, and early outcomes of taskforces in all 50 states and 70 cities. We found that while community and labor representatives on a few task forces succeeded in advancing policies that will benefit low-income workers and workers of color, the majority failed to meaningfully engage with advocates or advance recovery solutions that centered equity. To ensure that future crisis-response task forces advance policies that build an economy that works for all, we must provide meaningful supports to allow advocates and directly impacted community members to participate in decision-making guided by equity principles.