contributed by NWFCO Yesterday, NWFCO released the latest installment of our job gap series. This one focuses on racial inequities in wages. Hold on to your hat: it turns out that living wage jobs are hard to come by overall, and they’re much scarcer still for people of color. For some, though, this does not come as a shock, the numbers are a real reminder of how much work we have to do – and it’s helpful to have the figures to show to the doubtful in our diverse efforts. One example from the report: in Washington state, 64 percent of African American workers and 69 percent of Latino workers earn less than a living wage for a single adult with a child, compared to 43 percent of white workers. That’s a pretty significant difference. For others, though, the numbers may not be enough. Here’s one response we got to our study, from a reporter: “I definitely understand (and am living with) lower wages than the cost of living, but I am very disgusted that this is made out to be a race issue. How are we ever going to get away from discrimination when people keep thinking they are special because of their color?” How, indeed? But I guess it’s hard to see the figures clearly when we’re colorblind. Read The Race for Wages: Living Wage Jobs in the Current Economy
Job Gap Series
By Guest Columnist Dec 20, 2007