the future of environmental diversity

The Future of Environmental Diversity

AGENDA

• Identify the major demographic changes in the

United States

• Examine the educational attainment levels of

these diverse populations

• Predict the workforce of tomorrow

• Implement a plan of action

Demographic Shifts

Changing Demographics

• The United States Population will experience major demographic changes

over the next six decades

• Population Increases

– Hispanic

– Asian-Pacific Islander

– African American

– Native Americans

• Population Decreases

– White Non-Hispanic Population

2000 Census Highlights

• Between July 1, 1990 and July 1, 1999:

– The Asian and Pacific Islander population grew 43 % to 11.9 million

– Hispanic Population: grew 57.9 % to 35.3 million.

– White population: increased 7.3 % to 211 million.

– Black Population: remained the country’s largest minority group,

experiencing a 13.8 % rise to 34.8 million.

– American Indian and Alaska Native population: increased 110 % to

4.13 million.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, January 2001

Current Population

Population Estimates1995 - 2000

Number in Thousands

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

White 193,328 194,037 194,746 195,414 196,049 196,659

Black 31,590 31,951 32,339 32,718 33,092 33,476

Hispanic 27,107 28,099 29,182 30,252 31,337 32,440

API 8,846 9,186 9,537 9,863 10,186 10,504

Native 1,932 1,956 1,979 2,002 2,026 2,050

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Source: Population Estimates, US Census Bureau, August 2000

Population Projections

By the year 2020, our population will be 326,000,000, an increase of 24%.

– Hispanics will surpass Blacks as the largest minority by 2015.

• By 2025 Hispanics will account for 15.7% of the US’s total population, compared to 13.9% Black, and 7.0% Asian

– Native Americans will double in number.

– The Asian population will grow fastest in all regions of the country.

Population Estimates2006 - 2010

Numbers in thousands

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

Source: Population Estimates, US Census Bureau, August 2000

Key Points

• No matter how Race and Hispanic Origin is tabulated, it is clear that the next century will experience major demographic shifts.

• Because our nation’s labor force will be increasingly comprised of people of color, it is in the best interest of employers that ethnic minorities are achieving at every academic and professional level

• Significant gaps exist in the educational attainment levels of Non-Hispanic Whites and People of Color

Educational Attainment

High School Completion

• During the last 20 years, African Americans and Hispanics ages 18-24 have improved their high school completion rates. However, these rates continue to trail that of Non-Hispanic Whites.

• The gap between high school completion for whites and African Americans was 8 percentage points. Between Whites and Hispanics, high school completion rates were more than 20 percentage points.

– In 1997, high school completion rates for African Americans declined for a 3rd consecutive year to 74.7%

– Hispanics high school completion rates increased to 62%

College Enrollment

• A record 14.9 million students enrolled in colleges and universities last fall, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The figure is up from 14.7 million in 1998 and represents an increase of 10 % over the last decade.

• Enrollment in institutions of higher education is expected to rise between 1996 and the year 2008.

– The most important factor in the projected rise of college enrollment is the projected increase of 18 % in the traditional college-age population of 18 to 24-year-olds. (Baby Boom Echo)

– The 18 to 24-year-old population is projected to increase 18% by the year 2008.

Projections of College Enrollment 1998-2009

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, August 1999

SOURCE: U.S. Departm ent of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2010 . Between 2000 and 2010, fu ll-time enro llment is pro jected to increase by 19% , and part -time enrollment is pro jected to increase by 11% .

Enrollm ent in public and private 2-year and 4-year colleges,

by attendance status: Fall 1985 to fall 2010

(In millions)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

N um ber of students

(Projected)

Full-time

Part-time

Fall

College Enrollment

• Undergraduate enrollment is projected to increase at an annual growth rate of 1.0 % during the 1996-2002 period and 1.2 % during the 2002-2008 period.

– Full Time Enrollment will increase by 19%

– Part Time Enrollment will increase by 11%

• Demographic Shifts

– 1979: Students of Color comprised only 16% of total college students

– 2000: Students of Color comprised 31% of total college students

Diversity In Higher Education

• According to a report by the Educational Testing Service, over the next 15 years, enrollment at American colleges will increase 19 %, to 16 million, and minority students will account for 80 percent of that growth.

– The proportion of students who are Black will rise from 12.8 % in 1995 to 13.2 % by 2015

– Hispanic student participation will rise from 10 % to about 15 %

– Asian student participation will rise from 5.4 % to 8.4 %.

– Non-Hispanic White student participation will decline from 71 % to 63 % during the same period.

Students of Color in Environmental Programs

• The number of students of color pursuing environmentally related degrees

relative to their total proportion is increasing, although slowly.

• From 1987 to 1997 there was a 10% increase of students of color earning

environmentally related bachelor’s degrees.

• Hispanic, African, Asian and Native American students made up 23% of those

receiving bachelor’s degrees in environmentally related disciplines, compared

to their total population representation of 28%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, August 1999

Minority Students Receiving Environmental Bachelor’s Degrees

87%

13%

77%

23%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

1987 1997

WhiteNon-White

People of Color with Environmental Bachelor’s DegreesWhite Black Latino API NA

Agriculture 20,313 600 616 548 181

Architecture 5,850 301 579 663 40

Business 166,729 19,999 11,787 13,952 1,122

Engineering 42,642 3,149 3,072 7,257 268

Eng. Tech 10,826 1,383 488 478 97

Liberal studies 26,126 3,607 2,855 1,233 344

Life Science 46,398 4,209 2,839 8,729 346

Multidisciplinary 19,347 2,074 2,441 1,722 175

Parks/Recreation 13,187 932 673 280 101

Physical Science 15,368 1,140 566 1685 103

Public Affairs 14,623 3,640 1,425 566 226

Social Science 93,662 11,298 7,836 7,379 877

Totals 475,071 52,332 35,177 44,492 3880


Minority Students Receiving Environmental Master’s Degrees 1997


87%

13%

77%

23%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

1987 1997

White

Non-White

Minority Students Receiving Environmental Master’s Degrees 1997

White Black Latino API NA

Agriculture 3,256 138 89 127 21

Architecture 2,620 160 198 255 17

Business 67,531 6,359 3,163 5,681 320

Engineering 13,210 713 721 2,453 56

Eng. Tech 786 67 15 35 1

Liberal studies 2,2378 140 76 48 16

Life Science 4,519 246 188 582 23

Multidisciplinary 2,224 156 132 86 22

Parks/Recreation 1,657 114 41 30 11

Physical Science 3,316 150 111 321 17

Public Affairs 18,092 3,234 1,300 773 195

Social Science 9,928 954 549 609 65

Totals 149,517 12,431 6,583 11,000 764


From Academia To Careers

• Despite the educational gains that have been made by students of color, as

well as the closing of the gap between minority students and their White

counterparts, there remains a critical lack of minority students in

environmentally-related fields of study.

• Although it is uncertain what factors influence students of color to pursue and

environmental degree, the relatively small growth in the diverse

environmental professionals over the past decade indicates that greater

intervention and exposure to the field is necessary in order to generate interest.

The Environmental Workforce

The Environmental Field Will Experience Modest Growth over the Next Decade

Source: The Hudson Institute. Workforce 2000

Employment By Occupation2000 and Projected 2010

Occupation Employment (in thousands)

Change

2000 2010 Number %

Biological Scientists

73 88 15 21.0

Conservation Scientists

16 18 2 8.3

Forest Conservation

20 22 1 3.9

Other Life Scientists

28 33 4 15.9

Chemists 84 100 16 19.1

Environmental Scientists

64 78 14 22.3

Geoscientists 25 30 5 18.1

Hydrologists 8 10 2 25.7

Economists 22 26 4 18.5

Env. Protection Techs

27 34 7 24.5

Significant Sources of Career PreparationMost Significant Source of

Education or TrainingEmployment

Number Percent

2000 2010 2000 2010

Total, All Occupations 145,954 167,754 100.00 100.00

Bachelor's or higher degree 30,072 36,556 20.7 21.8

First Professional Degree 2,034 2,404 1.4 1.4

Doctorate 1,492 1,845 1.0 1.1

Master’s 1,426 1,759 1.0 1.0

Bachelor’s or Higher PLUS Work Experience

7,319 8,741 5.0 5.2

Bachelor’s Degree 17,801 21,807 12.2 13.0

Associate Degree or Vocational Award

11,761 14,600 8.1 8.7

Associate Degree 5,083 6,710 3.5 4.0

Postsecondary Award 6,678 7,891 4.6 4.7

Work-Related Training 103,760 116,597 71.3 69.5

Work Experience in a related Occupation

10,456 11,559 7.2 6.9

Long Term On the Job Training

12,435 13,373 8.5 8.0

Moderate Tem On the Job Training

27,671 30,794 19.0 18.4

Short Term On the Job Training

53,198 60,871 36.5 36.3

Composition of American Workforce by Ethnic Group, Percent 1995-2020 (Projected)

76 74 73 72 70 68

11 11 11 11 11 11

9 10 11 12 13 14

4 5 5 5 6 6

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

% o

f Tot

al L

abor

For

ce

Asian

Hispanic

Black

White

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics projections to 2005

Hudson Institute projections 2010-2020

Workforce Trends

• The nation’s workforce will continue to become more ethnically diverse.

– Non-Hispanics Whites will still account for 68 % of the workforce in 2020.

– In Western states, though, diversification will be more significant, as the Hispanic and Asian populations and workforce rise rapidly.

• Because economic growth depends on worker productivity, the educational attainments of today’s students raise an important concern for tomorrow’s workforce.

– Educational levels need to be raised for all, but the continuing disparities between white and minority students presents major challenges.

– The dismantling of affirmative action in California, Texas, Washington and Florida could contribute to lower enrollments of minority populations and public colleges and universities.

Source: The Hudson Institute. Workforce 2000

Workforce Trends

• Limited Growth in Environmental Field creates competition for relatively small number of jobs

• Without prior work experience, as well as exposure to the profession, it will be extremely difficult for students of color to find meaningful employment in the environmental field

• Thousands of Professionals of Color are likely to migrate to faster growing industries unless opportunities are created which can attract them to the environmental field

Opportunities

WHAT KIND OF ISSUE IS DIVERSITY FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?

• Access

• Equity

• Mission/Values

• Rewards

• Incentives

• Response to a Mandate

• Non-Issue

– By Choice

– Lack of Awareness

WHAT KIND OF ISSUE CAN DIVERSITY BE FOR YOUR

ORGANIZATION?

• Mentoring

• Broadening of core competencies

• Greater outreach to communities of color

• Stimulus for learning in a cross-cultural environment

• Mission Re-vitalization

Impacting the Field

• Empowering a diverse workforce expands the capacity of the environmental field.

• Creating opportunities makes an organization both accessible and marketable to employees and communities of color.

• Communities, in turn, will expand the scope and the capacity of the organization.

Next Steps

• Define what Diversity is for you and your organization

• Create an assessment plan to determine what role diversity currently plays in your organization.

• Develop a sense of social ethics and social responsibility.

• Commit resources

• Mentor multiple interns.

For More Information

Michael Ho

Diversity Associate

The Environmental Careers Organization

[email protected]

the future of environmental diversity

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