Though it comes at a time when transportation-related construction work is booming, this Labor Day will find African-Americans, Latinos and women being passed over for these living-wage jobs in large numbers, according to a study of 18 American metropolitan areas.

The study is the first of its kind to examine the employment of African Americans, Hispanics, and women in the construction field in mostly Midwestern and Northeastern cities that have seen most industrial jobs disappear. Much as manufacturing jobs once did, construction jobs offer a chance for pay significantly higher than minimum wage for workers without a college degree. The national average is over $19.00 an hour.

In every area studied, white males dominate construction work, regardless of the racial and gender makeup of the local workforce as a whole. The study found that, based on their share of the population, more than 42,000 black workers are missing from the construction workforce. Though half the population, women held 6 percent or less of the jobs, even though construction has become increasingly mechanized. Latinos lagged in at least 5 of the metropolitan areas studied.

The study also found that significant labor shortages in the construction industry will worsen in the years ahead. Nearly 2.5 million openings in the construction industry need to be filled between 2004 and 2014. On average, the industry will have to recruit and train nearly 250,000 new workers each year.

The report comes two years after Congress directed transportation agencies to ensure that disadvantaged local workers are trained and hired for construction projects as they spend the $244 billion authorized in the 2005 transportation bill.

The 18 metropolitan areas are Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City, Albany, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Honolulu, Kalamazoo, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Saginaw, South Bend, Syracuse, Virginia Beach, Los Angeles and Youngstown.  

SOURCE Gamaliel Foundation