1 out of every 5 Minnesota blacks is unemployed, why is that? (St. Paul: lawyers, find a job)

[tropolis]

Twin Cities jobless gap worst in nation | StarTribune.com

The black jobless rate is 22 percent,

white jobless rate is 6.4 percent.

Worst gap in the nation.

these are possible explanations in the article

The state's black population is five years younger on average than the black population nationally, and unemployment is higher among younger people. White Twin Citians are more educated than counterparts in most other metro areas, while black Twin Citians are somewhat less educated than blacks elsewhere.

Some experts say the employment gap may be fueled in part by another disparity: Fewer white Minnesotans have criminal records than whites nationally, while the opposite is true for black Minnesotans. The disparity between blacks and whites on that score is four times higher in the state than for the country as a whole. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and others say racial profiling accounts for much of that.

In the black community, some express doubts about whether the concept of equal opportunity remains on the radar of some Minnesota employers.

"I think Minnesotans like to believe they are good people," said Shawn Lewis, board member of the St. Paul Foundation's Pan African Community Endowment. "They like to believe they are progressive people, that they don't have any biases, that they treat people fairly. In reality, that is not the situation."

Some blacks say they lack connections that might land them a job in a slowly recovering economy.

"It's not what you know, but who you know," said Jacqueline Brown, 51, laid off in 2008 as a supervisor for a medical facility. "There aren't enough blacks in hiring positions, in human resources, so blacks don't have an equal chance of getting a job," she said.



you could sell me a little on the black population being younger, and younger people do have higher unemployment. that isnt a good enough reason though, along with the others mentioned to cover that gap between white and black minnesotans.

i think the main reason is not enough blacks in positions of power, and subtle discrimination by white hiring managers. i do not believe minnesota takes equal opportunity seriously, and thats a big problem if you are not white.

having said that, 78 percent of minnesota blacks are unemployed, so many whites in power are giving blacks a fair shot, just clearly not enough employers.

this is an embarrassing number for minnesota.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

There is nothing new about this data. As far as the causes/solutions I'm afraid I don't have any answers. I agree though, there is nothing to be proud about this level of race disparity.

[golfgal]

I would say that in my experience in MN that most of the unemployment issues arise from people not wanting to work (the past couple years not withstanding) and not because of the color of their skin. They put in a half hearted effort to find a job, if that. The Twin Cities also lacks a significant middle and upper class black population to offset some of these statistics. I do not believe this is "subtle" discrimination on the part of hiring managers.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I would say that in my experience in MN that most of the unemployment issues arise from people not wanting to work (the past couple years not withstanding) and not because of the color of their skin. They put in a half hearted effort to find a job, if that. The Twin Cities also lacks a significant middle and upper class black population to offset some of these statistics. I do not believe this is "subtle" discrimination on the part of hiring managers.

How offensive. There are plenty of people out there who "want" to work. I agree that discrimination on the part of hiring managers is probably not the problem; the bigger issue is that there is a similarly large racial education gap in the Twin Cities (including a much larger dropout rate among black teens than white teens) which inevitably leads to economic disparities. There's also been much written about issues like access to jobs, that sort of thing, and that disproportionately impacts lower-income black residents.

Camden Northsider might weigh in here; he's had some great posts on this in the past (and works with these issues for a living, so is very current on the topic.)

[briansol]

"It's not what you know, but who you know," said Jacqueline Brown, 51, laid off in 2008 as a supervisor for a medical facility. "There aren't enough blacks in hiring positions, in human resources, so blacks don't have an equal chance of getting a job," she said.

This **** pisses me off on SOOOOOOOOOOOO many levels.

****!

You didn't not get hired because yo'ure black... you didin't get hired because you probably said 'ax' instead of 'ask' during an interview............ No one wants to hire a street wanna be. Speak proper and oh the places you will go.

[captaincatfish]

Originally Posted by briansol

This **** pisses me off on SOOOOOOOOOOOO many levels.

****!

You didn't not get hired because yo'ure black... you didin't get hired because you probably said 'ax' instead of 'ask' during an interview............ No one wants to hire a street wanna be. Speak proper and oh the places you will go.

Are you some sort of budding clairvoyant, that you can magically tell what speech patterns that the woman quoted uses/used? Or anyone else for that matter?

I thought not...instead, in your high degree of 'p****d-offedness', you chose to take a dip in the Big Ol' Bucket O' Stereotypes...also, how do you know that she or anyone else in Minnesota or points south is a 'street wannabe'?...and further, while trying to glibly paraphrase Dr. Seuss, it's 'speak proper English'...next time, quit worrying about how many levels of 'p***itivity' you can achieve, and form a more rational opinion

[briansol]

Stereotypes exist for a reason.

And for the record, I'm black.

[captaincatfish]

Originally Posted by briansol

Stereotypes exist for a reason.

And for the record, I'm black.

And on another level, I can totally understand what you said...but, again, I reference my question---how did you know what that woman may have said in her interview? I'm not trying to be snide, but that seemed to be the main thing that upset you

You're right, too, about people 'not wanting to hire street wannabes'---that absolutely torques me as well...don't go into a social or employment situation talking like you're auditoning for 'Boyz In The Hood---The Broadway Musical'...it's dumb, and you're not gonna score any cool points...

If I came at you rather strongly the last time, I apologize...but the way you worded things pushed my buttons juuuust a little bit LOL

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by tropolis

Twin Cities jobless gap worst in nation | StarTribune.com

The black jobless rate is 22 percent,

white jobless rate is 6.4 percent.

Worst gap in the nation.

This has come up before, and I personally find it interesting and unsettling at the same time. I've always believe that the Twin Cities is somewhat more welcoming and fair ... in general ... when it comes to things like race and religion than other regions of the country, and my recent time living here in Atlanta hasn't done much to change that opinion.

My initial response, of course, is this: Need more info.

For example: How do the two demographic groups compare in terms of age, experience, education, and other factors?

To put it another way: How do unemployment rates compare between subsets of the above two groups where the only obvious differentiator is race? What is the unemployment rate among black lawyers, or black IT people with a certain skillset, or black plumbers with certain experience?

Are some types of jobs more (or less) likely to hire a person based on race?

Are there other social or cultural elements which could be at play? Is the Somali population included in this? How does it compare to black folks who are not Somali? I think that would be interesting to see, as many immigrant groups tend to be highly motivated.

I think it sucks, but the gap obviously exists for some reason.

Is it racially motivated? I would hope not, but I've run into enough racism among folks in my parents generation to simply dismiss that as an answer, and I've found it interesting to see both anti-black and pro-black racism here in Atlanta, as well as anti-hispanic racism. I think all are somewhat shallow, but recognize the historic and social basis for some of it.

I suspect the answer is not a simple one. Folks who couldn't afford college, for example, are at a tremendous disadvantage these days. It's hard enough to find work with a degree, a decade of relevant experience, and a large sheaf of spotless references! At least in some lines of work. And I know that a lack of education can be based, at least in part, on a lack of family tradition. My father went to college, and it was expected that I would do so, but that certainly isn't true of everyone.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness format. Just working through it in my head.

[audadvnc]

The loss of manufacturing jobs makes a big problem for everybody, and the segments of society that traditionally suffer from economic stresses take the biggest hit this season.