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• “Up until the 1980s, many black

men were employed in
manufacturing jobs, which had
provided benefits and a family
wage, permitting families to
attain comfortable standards of
living. Once these factories
began to close, these
comfortable lifestyles went with
them. Black men were the
hardest hit by this economic
restructuring…”
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Local Structural Factors
Split Labor Market —this refers to
how different racial groups would be
paid a different wage, with the
people of color being paid the lesser
wages.
Historically, the labor of white
workers would also be protected by
unions, while people of color would
not be protected.
Structural Factors
Skills mismatch hypothesis—this
explains that the skills and
qualifications (such as college
degrees) held by those unemployed
do not match the available jobs. This
can be used to explain the high
jobless rate of African American
men.
Ways to Measure Joblessness

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Incarceration and Joblessness

Disproportionately high rates of imprisonment impact labor participation as

faced by the men and their families in the African American community.
This results in low wages, stigma when returning to the workforce, and less
earnings. Black men’s post-prison earnings grew 21% slower than white
men’s earnings. (p. 250)
Attempts at Fixes of Labor Inequality on an
Individual or Group Level
○ Self-employment—members of racialized and ethnic groups set out to create a
job for themselves. This approach has been successful for some groups, but not
other groups.

Ethnic Enclave Economy—members of racialized and ethnic groups create

businesses to serve their own group. In another theory, the racial enclave economy,
the owner’s racial group both supplies business and sets boundaries for it.
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