6 policies to boost employment for Black men
Harry J. HolzerTuesday, March 16, 2021
Black men face a range of challenges in the labor market which hinder their employment opportunities, as discussed in my accompanying paper “Why are employment rates so low among Black men?“.
What can be done? Effective policies, operating at the federal, state and/or local level, to address some of these challenges include the following:
The program Year Up, for example, provides training and six-month internships for low-income students, especially those of color, and shows very impressive positive impacts on subsequent earnings and employment of participants. New initiatives like P-Tech, which begins in grade 9 and creates a pathway into community college vocational programs, seem promising. More career education, beginning in middle school, would help too.
Invest now in Black men’s employment
The policy interventions described above, implemented properly, will not be cheap. In some cases, the evidence for effectiveness at scale is not yet that strong–which means that experimentation and careful evaluation will be necessary. But now is the time to invest in a full range of policies and programs to improve employment rates of Black men. As a nation, we simply cannot afford to waste so much personal and economic potential.
Harry J. HolzerTuesday, March 16, 2021
Black men face a range of challenges in the labor market which hinder their employment opportunities, as discussed in my accompanying paper “Why are employment rates so low among Black men?“.
What can be done? Effective policies, operating at the federal, state and/or local level, to address some of these challenges include the following:
- Reduce racial segregation of neighborhoods and schools
- Boost early work experience for young Black men
The program Year Up, for example, provides training and six-month internships for low-income students, especially those of color, and shows very impressive positive impacts on subsequent earnings and employment of participants. New initiatives like P-Tech, which begins in grade 9 and creates a pathway into community college vocational programs, seem promising. More career education, beginning in middle school, would help too.
- More–and better–college credentials
- Reduce crime and incarceration rates
- More help for returning citizens into work
- Subsidized jobs
Invest now in Black men’s employment
The policy interventions described above, implemented properly, will not be cheap. In some cases, the evidence for effectiveness at scale is not yet that strong–which means that experimentation and careful evaluation will be necessary. But now is the time to invest in a full range of policies and programs to improve employment rates of Black men. As a nation, we simply cannot afford to waste so much personal and economic potential.