Eliminating barriers to employment and making the workplace more diverse and inclusive will benefit everyone.
For this year’s Black History Month, we’re dedicating a weekly blog series to examining the specific challenges Black Americans experience in higher education, and sharing some of the actionable steps Liaison is taking in pursuit of advancing equity. This week’s discussion highlights Black Americans’ historical and ongoing disadvantages moving from campus to the workplace as well as Liaison’s participation in initiatives designed to foster inclusivity, equity and diversity at every step in the process.
It’s Time for Change
While Black Americans have made some progress in the workforce in recent decades, the considerable disparities regarding employment and income that still exist are impossible to ignore. For example:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Black unemployment rate in 2019 fell to its lowest level since at least 1972, yet remained significantly higher than the overall unemployment rate (6.1% vs. 3.7%).
- Black workers with bachelor’s degrees are more likely to be unemployed than White workers with bachelor’s degrees (3.4% vs. 2.2%), and Black workers with advanced degrees are also more likely to be unemployed than equally educated White workers (2.3% vs. 1.7%).
- Among full-time professionals, Black Americans with advanced degrees had lower median weekly earnings in 2019 than the overall population of advanced degree holders ($1,284 vs. $1,567).
- Black full-time workers with bachelor’s degrees also earned less than the overall population of workers with bachelor’s degrees ($1,007 vs. $1,284).
- By late 2020, Black workers with bachelor’s degrees were unemployed at exactly the same rate — 6.1% — as less-educated White workers (i.e., those with associate degrees).
Actions Speaks Louder than Words
One particular area of focus this year has come from our BusinessCAS team, which is working to articulate a full-spectrum approach to equity. Recognizing that DEI efforts are so much more than simply getting racially diverse students in the pipeline, we are committed to supporting GME by identifying curricular, co-curricular and cultural opportunities throughout the student journey that will show equity is more than a seat at the table. This includes visibility into faculty/staff hiring, case protagonists, clubs and activities, and more. BusinessCAS’s research team is also working closely with groups like MBA Roundtable to identify resources and create an accessible library related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
At Liaison, we are also developing products to help all Americans make the leap from higher education to career. We will soon be sharing more information about how we’re extending our software and services to empower individuals to manage and access their own data as they progress from school to work and engage in lifelong learning. We believe this will have a profound impact on traditionally marginalized groups by giving people greater control over how and where their information appears. This initiative will make it easier to apply to jobs and learning opportunities by simplifying the process and the amount of time required to gather transcripts, essays, records and all of the other artifacts that comprise an individual’s profile.
While our Black History Month blog series is coming to a close, we will remain committed to social justice and equity throughout the year. Higher education is in an unprecedented time of change right now, and we stand ready to use our platform and resources to help all who are working to see our campuses and workplaces reflect the vibrant diversity of our communities.