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Mark MuroBrookings Metropolitan Policy Program

Opportunity for Black Collegians in Tech and BusinessThe Brookings Institution — May 4, 2018

Getting with the Program:Digital Skills as Opportunity

@MarkMuro1

Digitalization: What it is, why it matters, how it varies

Blacks and tech

12

Digitalization is the process of employing digital technology and data to transform business operations and create value

What we mean by “digitalization”

An explosion of digital tools is transforming nearly every industry

To measure all this we sorted occupations by their digital content

Software developers Registered nurses

Office clerks

Low

(scores below 33)Medium

(scores between 33 and 60)High

(scores above 60)

Financial Managers Personal care aides

Construction laborers

56%

30%

40%

48%

5%23%

2002 2016

Low Medium High

Share of U.S. employment by digital skill level

The share of jobs requiring high & medium digital skills has skyrocketed

Administrative support

39 64

Physician assistants

27 56

70% in Medium or High

Tech empowers: Digitalization brings higher wages

Average annual wage by digital score, 2016

$ 30 K

$ 48 K

$ 73 K

Low Medium High

Digital “know-how” is not, however, distributed evenly

ASIAN

51WHITE

48BLACK

44LATINO

40

WOMEN

48

MEN

45

Non-whites are disproportionately employed in low-digital skill jobs

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Building and grounds cleaning/maintenance

Food preparation and serving related

Transportation and material moving

Healthcare support

Community and social services

Healthcare practitioner

Office and administrative support

Management

Engineering

Computer and mathematical

US average

Employment in select U.S. occupation groups by race

Black Asian Latino White

US Average

Lower digital score

Higher digital score

Digitalization: What it is, why it matters, how it varies

Blacks and tech

12

Blacks have a mixed presence in tech occupations

Statisticians

Operations research analysts

Note: Bubble size reflects 2016 national employment

Computer systems analysts

Database administrators

Computer network architects

Information security analysts

Computer programmers

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

2002 2016

Blac

k em

ploy

men

t sha

re

Gaps in black representation in tech work are largest in Southern and Eastern metro areas

Employed population 16 years or

older, 2016 (thousands)

23 — 262

262 — 794

794 — 2,012

2,012 — 4,609

4,609 — 9,628

9.2% — 0.0%

0.0% — -5.0%

-5.0% — -10.0%

-10.0% — -15.0%

-15.0% — -33.1%

Blacks' over- and under-representation

in Computer & Math occupations, 2016

Black workers are overrepresented in tech jobs in Las Vegas, NV by 2.7 percentage points—an increase of 5.1

percentage points since 2010

1.

Expand and widen the high-digital IT

talent pipeline

2.

Increase basic digital literacy, especially among underrepresented groups

Black leaders should adopt two digital workforce training priorities

1.

Build and widen the high-digital IT

talent pipeline

Black leaders should adopt two digital workforce training priorities

• Expand aligned, relevant higher-ed feeder programs

• Scale up non-traditional accelerated learning models, experiences, and certifications

• Move toward universal K-12 CS exposure

2.

Increase basic digital literacy throughout the

community

Black leaders should adopt two digital workforce training priorities

• Launch compelling digital literacy campaigns

• Scale-up exposure to basic office productivity tools in school

• Expand entry-level tech training programs

Finally: Embrace entrepreneurship

#BuildSomethingFromNothing to circumvent barriers and build wealth

Mark MuroSenior FellowMetropolitan Policy Program at Brookingsmmuro@brookings.edu

@markmuro1

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