Racial Profiling in Hiring 

Many people of color face additional obstacles while applying for employment opportunities. In the past 25 years, there has been little to no change in the hiring rate of Black or Brown applicants in the U.S. according to the Harvard Business Review [1]. Racial profiling in hiring practices manifests when employers refuse to interview or hire an applicant because of their race or ethnicity. This profiling often stems from the fact that most recruitment and hiring is being done by Non-Hispanic White individuals who have been shown to hire within their own homogenous professional networks or prioritize resumes with “white-sounding” names [2]. Since 1990, while applying for jobs with identical resumes, Non-Hispanic White applicants on average receive 36 percent more call-backs than Black applicants and 24 percent more than Latinx applicants [1]. Though discrimination in hiring practices is prohibited according to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racial profiling within recruitment still exists and is difficult to weed out. More research and information on racial profiling in hiring practices can be found here:

• Taking Steps to Eliminate Racism in the Workplace

• The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding Racial Discrimination in Hiring

• Discrimination in the Job Market in the United States

(image from The New York Times)

Racial Barriers in the Workplace

Once in the workplace, workers of color still face a legacy of structural racism that poses obstacles for retention and advancement. From microaggressions to stark salary differences, workers of color are forced to confront an office culture that has been tailored to the white worker [3]. Salaries, for example, are often determined by an employee’s education and previous experience which—because of the aforementioned obstacles related to unequal education—keeps the salaries of workers of color lower than their Non-Hispanic White counterparts. In a previous Leading Indicator, we detailed how Black and Latinx male workers in Philadelphia earn approximately $0.72 and $0.57 respectively to every Non-Hispanic White male dollar earned; with Black and Latinx females making only $0.70 and $0.54, respectively. Additionally, the overrepresentation of Non-Hispanic White managers and executives makes it difficult for many professionals of color to advance in their organization or field. Without mentors who are aware of the obstacles and burdens disproportionately faced by professionals of color, advancement opportunities tend to funnel to white coworkers [4]. These are only a few of the examples of how embedded racism in workplace practices keeps many workers of color from building sustainable career pathways. More resources on structural racism in the workplace can be found here:

• An Unequal Workplace for Black Americans

• How to Prevent Racism in the Workplace

• 'You’re Talked to as If You are a Junior' – Employees on Workplace Racism

The “Diversity Check-Box”

Campaigns to hire or recruit “more diverse” workers or leaders can also come from a place of structural racism in the form of tokenism. Like a “check-box” on a form or survey, many organizations ambitiously hire or recruit professionals of color for leadership positions or board membership for the purpose of seeming more diverse rather than actively utilizing the skills, talents, or perspective of professionals of color. As Kyana Wheeler of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative framed it, “Diversity is about numerical categorization” that some organizations pursue only to be more competitive for funding opportunities or to be better perceived by the public [5]. One only needs to see the current demographic makeup of board members and chairpersons among major companies. While the percentage of Black and Brown board seats among Fortune 100 companies has increased from 14.9 percent to 19.5 percent from 2004 to 2018, Non-Hispanic White individuals still represent 66 percent of all Fortune 500 board seats and 91 percent of their chairmanships [6]. This is not to say that all companies refrain from utilizing the experience and input of professionals of color in leadership roles, but the limited number of non-white leaders reflects a nominal commitment to inclusiveness and equity. Actively investing in and promoting professionals of color as equal decisionmakers within an organization's leadership can overcome the “diversity checkbox mentality” and open the organization to new ideas, perspectives, and profitable ventures. More information on the diversity checkbox and inclusiveness can be found here:

• ‘Checkbox Diversity’ Must Be Left Behind for DEI Efforts to Succeed

• When and Why Diversity Improves Your Board’s Performance

• How to Achieve Authentic Board Diversity

Community Engagement

When workforce development providers and employers tap into existing civic infrastructure and community networks, it can help facilitate employer connections, disseminate relevant training opportunities, and connect individuals to the right resources [9]. For traditionally underserved communities where employment and advancement opportunities are limited, and where there is a lack of access to information and resources, comprehensive community engagement can help close the gap by directing individuals to the right resources.

Career Advancement

Programs that take a career advancement approach create strong cohesion between stakeholders, employers, jobseekers, and employees [10]. Sometimes known as “career pathways,” career advancement clearly articulates routes to well-paying jobs and provides support and guidance to individuals moving along the path. Individuals gain specific skillsets and achieve progressive levels of education and credentials that lead to a better job. Well-designed career advancement opportunities are flexible, with multiple entry and exit points to meet the needs of individuals with different skill levels, career goals, and changing family or other personal responsibilities. A workforce development ecosystem built on principles of career advancement typically offer continual learning opportunities and corresponding wage growth, leading to positive outcomes for workers and for employers [8]. 

Sharing of Resources and Information

An interconnected workforce development ecosystem begins with individual workforce development programs’ ability to collect and share valuable information and resources [8]. Whether it’s publishing retention and matriculation data, distributing information about program start dates, or sharing training details, sharing resources and information serves an important purpose: it better educates providers to the breadth of resources available at peer institutions, and how those resources are used. This dynamic facilitates warm handoffs between programs, and proactively allows for job seekers to connect to resources that are the best fit for their needs. 

Broad Access to Supportive Services

Services such as childcare, transportation, digital resources, physical and mental healthcare, among many others, are all independently linked to advancing job training and workforce development outcomes [11,12]. Similarly, lack of access to these resources can have negative workforce-related consequences. This report refers to these resources as “supportive services.” These supportive services fall outside of what may traditionally be thought of as workforce development but are nevertheless central to how and where individuals engage with the workforce. When individuals have access to the supportive services they need, like affordable childcare or reliable transportation services, they experience fewer roadblocks to finding and maintaining employment. Supportive services also extend to an individual’s health and mental health wellness—factors that can deeply impact one’s ability to find and keep employment.