Blacks, Latinos still facing discrimination in the job market

On behalf of elizabethtatelaw Attorney at Law posted in Workplace Discrimination on Tuesday , September 19, 2017

A meta-study by researchers from the U.S. and Norway ndicates that black and Latino workers still struggle to get fair treatment when it comes to employment. Race may play an important role during the job hunt, in Arizona and across the country, despite the efforts of legislators and others in recent years.

The meta-study reviewed the data and findings of multiple studies from as far back as 1989. In total, 28 studies were examined, covering more than 55,000 applicants for more than 26,000 jobs. The meta-study concluded that discrimination in hiring against blacks has remained unchanged over the course of the last 25 years. Discrimination against Latinos during that same period has seen only a moderate lessening.

According to the study, white job applicants have received 36 percent more callbacks than black applicants since 1989. Whites have received 24 percent more callbacks than Latinos. The study controlled for the education level, gender, occupational group and local labor market of applicants, as well as the methodologies of the studies involved. The implications of the meta-study include fewer callbacks leading to lower chances of finding work, fewer callbacks translating to fewer job offers and fewer offers meaning lesser leverage during employment negotiations.

The gap in wealth grows larger as the level of education increases. Blacks and Latinos with advanced degrees are more likely to need student loans than whites, for example, and the financial disparity, generally speaking, causes blacks and Latinos to put off wealth-growing steps like marriage and saving for retirement.

People in protected classess who feel they have faced workplace discrimination may want to consult an attorney. An attorney with experience handling discrimination cases might be able to help by determining the next step to take if the issue can’t be resolved internally.