State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

CHAPTER 5GROWING A WORKFORCEOregon’s economy has experienced steady improvement. Yet Black unemploymentstill remains double that of White Oregonians, and 30 percent of Blacks live inpoverty. The income gap between White and Black Oregonians is higher now thanit was pre-recession. Over the next 10 years, Oregon will invest millions of publicand private sector resources in workforce development and preparation. Unless we addressthe specific barriers to steady employment facing Black Oregonians and work to close theincome gap, these resources we invest in workforce development will simply not reach thosemost significantly impacted by unemployment and poverty.Black Oregonians are a ready and willing workforce that can play a critical role in growing Oregon’seconomy. The Urban League’s Jobs Vision for Black Oregon, which applies a race equity lens toOregon’s current job creation efforts, identifies opportunities to overcome barriers created by thejustice system, poverty, displacement, racism and poor educational outcomes.Oregon Unemployment(2013)BlackWhitePortland Unemployment(2013)Black16 %9 % 21 %Work Status by Gender(full-time job only)70%65%60%55%50%White men:+2.5% changeWhite women:–1.3% changeBlack women:–10.9% changeBlack men:–10.4% changeWhite2000 2006–108 % BlackEarnings by Race & Ethnicity(in thousands of dollars, 2007–2011)WhiteApprenticeship Completion Rates30%20%Black workers are overrepresented in low-wagejobs and underrepresented in living wage jobs21.5 %Black10%92