A new labor report commissioned by the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD) shows that while the city is enjoying an economic boom, many residents have been unable to share in that prosperity. Although Boston’s unemployment rate has dipped to a low 4.3 percent, the average resident makes just over $35,000 a year – the same, in real terms, as the average resident made three decades ago.
The purpose of the report is to identify the city’s greatest areas of need and to shape the OWD’s efforts at addressing income inequality. The report found that Boston’s most disadvantaged workers include immigrants, non-native English speakers, people of color, and residents (as opposed to commuters). Education emerged as a particularly powerful engine of economic mobility, and the healthcare and construction sectors show special promise for workers from diverse economic and educational backgrounds.
The OWD funds many organizations that provide literacy, adult education, high school equivalency, and job training programs. Most recently, the OWD’s Community Development Block Grant allocation process prioritized educational and economic outcomes.
Hear OWD Director Trinh Nguyen discuss the report findings in a BNN News video. Or read more in the press release or the Boston Globe’s coverage of the report.