This post first appeared on IBM Business of Government. Read the original article.
Across many decades, obstacles to gainful employment have limited the ability of Black Americans and other people of color to obtain well-paying jobs that create wealth and contribute to health and well-being.
A dearth of opportunity in
the job market is related to inequalities in education, bias in hiring, and other
forms of systemic inequality in the U.S.
Over time, federal efforts have addressed the need to increase diversity, equity,
and inclusion in the government workforce, and promoted similar changes in the
broader society. While these efforts have brought progress, they have not been
entirely effective. At the same time, federal action has made new kinds of data
available—data that can shed light on some of the historic drivers of workforce
inequity and help inform solutions to their ongoing impact.
This report explores a number of current opportunities to strengthen longstanding
data-driven tools to address workforce inequity. The report shows how the effects
of workforce discrimination and other historic practices are still being felt today.
At the same time, it outlines opportunities to apply data to increase equity in
many areas related to the workforce gap, including disparities in health and wellbeing,
socioeconomic status, and housing insecurity.
This brief builds on the IBM Center’s recent work addressing how public administration
can promote equity, which is one of the Center’s priority research areas.
It is the third in a series of projects on Open Data for Racial Equity conducted in
partnership with CODE. The first report in that series, Using Data to Advance
Racial Equity in Healthcare, was published in August 2022. The second report,
Leveraging Data to Improve Racial Equity in Fair Housing, was published in
November 2022.
We hope that this report provides helpful perspectives for government leaders and their stakeholders in designing
effective strategies and programs that promote more equitable workforce opportunities across government
and for all Americans.