Where Are the Black Guys on Those Road Crews?

Latinos are overrepresented in construction, study says

Here's the Detroit News story regarding the "Missing in Action" report from Smart Growth America that is discussed in the post immediately above this one:

Detroit's Construction Workforce Comprised of Few Blacks

by Cindy Rodriguez

DETROIT -- Detroit's construction workforce is primarily white with just seven out of 100 workers black, a disparity that undermines the potential of African American men to earn decent salaries, according to a first-of-its-kind study released today that examines the race and ethnicity of workers in building trades.

The study, "Missing in Action," looked at 19 cities across the nation, focusing on the construction trade because those jobs offer decent wages and benefits and don't require a college degree. Those jobs will continue to be in demand in the coming years.

Of the cities examined, Detroit had the second worst disparity rate, after Virginia Beach, Va. While blacks comprise 20 percent of the workforce in Detroit, they accounted for 7 percent of the workers in construction. Whites, on the other hand, comprised 72 percent of the workforce and 86 percent of the construction workers. Latinos also were overrepresented: They account for 3 percent of the workforce and 6 percent of those in construction.

"Construction employment works through informal networks. It's through word of mouth and through connections," said Dr. Todd Swanstrom, professor of public policy at Saint Louis University and the primary author of the study. "What's happened with African Americans is they simply aren't plugged into networks."

Bob Filka, CEO of the Michigan Association of Homebuilders, said blacks need to be made more aware of opportunities in building trades, especially because there will be a rising need once the Michigan economy recovers.

"We are going to have a hard time in the industry when the economy comes back because a lot of our workers have left the state," he said.

Ponsella Hardaway, executive director of the non-profit agency Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling strength, said public schools should train young black men and women for jobs in these trades and think of it as an investment.

"It's one of the reasons why we have a high crime rate. People do what they can to survive," Hardaway said. "There's a lot of hopelessness for young men and because of it they sometimes resort to other things."