In the US labor force today, there are more than 21 million Black Americans. There are several key observations that Pew Research, based on recent surveys and federal data sources, have drawn from the experiences of Black workers in the US workforce.
FACT 1: Black Americans Make Up Disproportionately Large Shares of Workers in Certain Sectors…
2022 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) state that Black workers comprise 13% of all US workers. However, Black workers make up a large proportion of certain occupations, including:
- 40.4% of postal service clerks
- 38.% of postal service mail sorters and processors
- 36.6% of transit and intercity bus drivers
- 36% of nursing assistants
… And Are Underrepresented in Certain Sectors
Conversely, Black workers comprise only 1.5% of people engaged in agriculture, 2.2% of STEM occupations, 3.6% of mechanical engineers, and 6% of electrical and electronic engineers.
FACT 2: Black Workers Tend to Earn Less Than US Workers Overall…
2022 BLS data noted that for full-time workers, Black workers aged 16 years old or older earned a median income of $878, compared with $1,059 for all US workers in the same age group.
By comparison, Hispanics earned $823, white workers $1,085, and Asian workers 1,401.
… And Education Doesn’t Matter
The observed pay gap between Black workers and the rest of the US labor force holds even when accounting for education – Black workers tend to earn less even with higher levels of education. This gap has persisted for several decades.
FACT 3: The Unemployment Rate for Black Americans is Double that of the Overall US Workforce
2022 BLS data shows that unemployment for ages 16 and up was 3.6% for females and 3.7% for males.
This rate among Black workers was 6.0% and 6.3%, respectively, compared with approximately 3% for white and Asian and 4% for Hispanic.
Explanations?
Historically Black Americans have experienced higher levels of unemployment than white Americans. Research into the field has noted that potential explanations include racial discrimination and gaps in work experience and education.
FACT 4: Black Workers More Likely to Say They’ve Experienced Racial Discrimination
A survey from the Center of US Workers in February 2023 noted that an astonishing 41% of Black workers claim to have experienced racial discrimination in hiring, pay, or promotion.
Comparatively, Asians (25%), Hispanic (20%), and white (8%) workers report similar treatment.
Black Men More Likely to Claim Experiencing Racial Discrimination Than Black Women
48% of Black male workers, compared to 36% of Black female workers, claim to have been discriminated against due to their race.
There were no gender differences between men and women among Hispanic and white workers.
FACT 5: 25% of US Workers Believe That Being Black Makes it Harder to Get Ahead in the Workplace in the US
According to research carried out by Pew Research, 51% of Black workers believe that being Black is a disadvantage in the workplace.
Comparatively, 39% of Asians, 29% of Hispanics, and 7% of white workers believe that being their own ethnicity is a disadvantage in the workplace.
Perceptions of Other Races as a Disadvantage?
Unsurprisingly, very few respondents identified being white as a disadvantage in the workplace. In fact, fewer than 0.5% of Black workers believe that being white makes it at least a little harder to get ahead in the workplace.
Black (52%), Hispanic (37%), and Asian (51%) respondents suggested that being white in the workplace makes things at least a little easier.
That said, Asian workers seem to indicate that being Black (41%), Hispanic (30%), or Asian (39%) can be a disadvantage in the workplace.
FACT 6: Most Black Workers Believe Race Plays a Big Role in Hiring…
In another survey of US adults carried out in 2022, 64% of Black adults believe that race plays a big part in bias and poor treatment in job applications. Comparatively, less than half of each of Asians (49%), Hispanics (41%), and white adults (30%) feel this is an issue.
… And Performance Check-ins
In workplace appraisals, 56% of Black adults feel that racial prejudice is problematic, compared with approximately Asian and Hispanic adults (40%), and white adults (23%).
FACT 7: Black Workers Believe Diversity in the Workplace is a Good Thing
According to a February Pew Research survey, Black Workers are most in favor of workplaces with a mix of employees from different races, at 53% – more than Hispanic, white, and Asian workers.
This Applies To Age and Disability Also
Black workers are also more accepting of a wide range of working ages, with 42% being accepting of this.
62% of Black respondents also feel it is important for them to work in a workplace that is accessible to differently-abled people.
FACT 8: Most Black Workers Believe Their Employers Do Not Do Enough For Diversity and Inclusivity at the Workplace
The Pew Research workers survey found that 28% of Black workers believe that their employers do not pay enough attention to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.
And Believe that Focus on Diversity in the Workplace is a Good Thing
78% of Black workers support an increased focus on diversity in the workplace, with only 1% seeing this as negative.
While most Hispanic and Asian workers also consider this as positive, only 47% of white respondents support an increased focus on diversity at the workplace, with 21% saying it is actually negative.
Just About Right
The same survey does identify that approximately half of respondents across political, gender and racial groups believe that enough is being done to foster diversity in the workplace.
By comparison, the survey identified the next largest modal group as 24% of Republican and right-leaning respondents who believed that workplaces placed too much importance on diversity and inclusion, compared with 6% of Democrat or left-leaning respondents.
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