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These 5 sectors have the highest concentration of Black people in America. Did you guess any of them?
The Lease Diverse, Highest Paying Jobs: https://youtu.be/sxoz0DCERP0?si=Rp-f2PRtiK4LLpIw
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0:00
In the contemporary American labor
0:02
market, patterns of racial
0:03
representation reflect a complex
0:05
interplay of historical, economic, and
0:08
social forces. Certain employment fields
0:10
show a significant over representation
0:13
of African-Americans, while other fields
0:15
have very small black representation.
0:17
Understanding why African-Americans are
0:19
concentrated in specific sectors
0:22
requires examining not only labor
0:23
statistics, but also the legalities of
0:26
discrimination, educational access,
0:28
systematic inequality, and cultural
0:30
dynamics. So, that's what we're getting
0:32
into today. Hi, my name is Jared and I
0:35
talk about interesting stories and
0:36
trends in black culture because black
0:38
culture is just so interesting to me. If
0:41
you share my interest, hit that
0:42
subscribe button and let's deep dive
0:44
into some interesting black culture and
0:46
history in every episode. According to
0:48
the data from the US Bureau of Labor
0:50
Statistics, BLS, and the US Census
0:52
Bureau, African-Americans are
0:54
disproportionately represented in
0:56
several occupational sectors. While
0:58
representation does not necessarily
1:00
imply discrimination or disadvantage,
1:03
the underlying causes and consequences
1:05
of this concentration warrant close
1:07
scrutiny. But before I get into some of
1:10
the blackest jobs in America, I want you
1:12
guys to leave your guesses in the
1:14
comments. Give me your top three fields
1:16
you think have the highest black
1:17
percentages. And because my audience is
1:19
just hilarious, I'm sure the comments
1:21
are going to be filled with what people
1:24
think are black jobs. And a little
1:27
disclaimer before I get started. I know
1:29
that these are not the only black jobs
1:32
that there are in America. There's
1:34
always somebody in the comments
1:35
misrepresenting my ideas and I want to
1:38
get ahead of that. Now, of course, black
1:39
people are in all types of sectors.
1:42
These are just what the numbers say as
1:44
far as the highest concentration today.
1:46
We will take a look at the top five
1:47
fields with the highest black
1:49
percentages. Number one, healthc care
1:50
support occupations. Black people are
1:53
significantly over represented in
1:55
healthcare support roles, particularly
1:57
as nursing assistants, home health aids,
1:59
and personal care aids. According to the
2:02
BLS, as of 2023, approximately 35% of
2:06
nursing assistants are African-American,
2:08
although African-Americans make up only
2:10
about 13% of the US population. And this
2:13
trend is not new. There's a long history
2:16
of African-Americans working in
2:17
caregiving roles during and after
2:19
slavery. During the reconstruction and
2:21
Jim Crow eras, African-Americans,
2:23
especially women, were often relegated
2:26
to roles as domestic workers, nannies,
2:28
and caregivers. These roles became
2:30
institutionalized pathways into the
2:33
labor market. Even as segregation ended,
2:35
African-Americans found better access to
2:37
entry-level health care positions than
2:39
to roles requiring advanced degrees such
2:41
as physicians or administrators due to
2:44
the barriers in education and licensing.
2:47
Caregiving is high upon the list of some
2:48
of the most incredible and difficult
2:50
work anybody can do. So, thank you for
2:52
those in the field in whatever capacity.
2:55
Shout out to all of our caregivers. And
2:57
number two, we have protective service
2:59
occupations. African-Americans also show
3:01
higher representation in protective
3:03
services, particularly in urban law
3:05
enforcement and correctional officer
3:07
roles. BLS data indicates that about 28%
3:11
of security guards and 27% of
3:13
correctional officers are
3:14
African-American. This is a complex
3:16
dynamic often driven by economic
3:19
opportunity, community stability, and
3:21
recruitment practices in heavily black
3:23
urban areas. In cities with large black
3:25
populations, police departments often
3:28
recruit locally, leading to a higher
3:30
black representation. However, this over
3:32
representation in enforcement roles does
3:34
not necessarily translate to leadership
3:37
positions within police departments. At
3:39
number three, we have transportation and
3:41
material moving. The transportation
3:43
sector, including roles such as bus
3:45
drivers, subway operators, and delivery
3:47
personnel, also sees a significant
3:50
number of African-American workers.
3:52
According to the BLS, African-Americans
3:54
make up about 26% of public
3:57
transportation workers. The roots of
3:59
this over representation go back to the
4:01
great migration during which millions of
4:03
African-Americans move from the rural
4:05
south to industrial cities in the north
4:07
and west in search of better economic
4:10
opportunities. Many found stable work in
4:12
manufacturing and transportation. While
4:14
the manufacturing sector has seen
4:16
massive declines, transportation jobs,
4:18
particularly those associated with
4:20
public infrastructure and logistics,
4:22
have remained a constant employment
4:24
avenue for many urban African-American
4:27
communities. And up until recently,
4:29
these jobs provided well for families
4:31
across the country. With some even
4:32
having great government pensions and
4:35
other retirement plans. As life has
4:36
gotten dramatically more expensive in
4:38
recent years, it's doubtful if these
4:40
jobs will be able to provide the middle
4:42
class lifestyle they once provided. And
4:44
as autonomous driving vehicles are
4:47
becoming more and more common, we might
4:49
want to get out of this field as soon as
4:51
we can. At number four, we have public
4:52
administration and civil service. Black
4:55
people are also significantly over
4:57
represented in government jobs,
4:58
particularly in administrative support
5:00
and clerical roles. The US Equal
5:02
Employment Opportunity Commission notes
5:05
that about 18% of federal employees are
5:07
African-American. This trend has its
5:09
roots in the civil rights movement when
5:11
the federal government became one of the
5:12
largest employers to implement
5:14
affirmative action and equal opportunity
5:17
policies. As a result, many
5:19
African-Americans sought civil service
5:21
jobs because they offered more
5:22
protection against racial discrimination
5:25
than the private sector. These jobs
5:27
provided stability, benefits, and a
5:29
pathway to middle class status for many
5:31
black families, especially during times
5:33
when corporate opportunities were
5:34
limited or overly discriminatory. And
5:37
this is also one of the reasons why
5:38
areas surrounding Washington DC have
5:41
some of the highest median incomes for
5:43
black households. A lot of those jobs
5:45
were federal jobs that pay well and
5:47
produce thriving black communities. And
5:49
at number five, lastly, we have to
5:52
include this, entertainment and sports.
5:54
Though not traditionally grouped with
5:56
other labor sectors, the entertainment
5:58
and sports industry deserve mention due
6:00
to the highly visible over
6:02
representation of African-Americans.
6:04
Black athletes dominate professional
6:06
football and basketball. While black
6:09
musicians and performers are central to
6:11
genres like hiphop, R&B, and gospel.
6:14
However, this over representation can be
6:16
misleading. The entertainment industry
6:18
is highly selective, competitive, and
6:21
does not provide a stable income for the
6:23
vast majority. The over representation
6:25
of African-Americans in certain
6:27
employment sectors is not a coincidence.
6:29
While these roles have sustained many
6:31
families and communities, they also
6:33
highlight the persistent boundaries that
6:35
continue to shape black labor in
6:37
America. Understanding these dynamics is
6:39
a crucial step in dismantling systemic
6:42
inequality and building a labor market
6:44
where African-Americans can thrive
6:46
across all professions. We did a video a
6:48
while back that looks into high-paying
6:50
jobs with very little diversity. So,
6:52
please check that out to see fields that
6:54
we really should be getting into. Even
6:56
though with AI coming, I don't even know
6:58
what those fields are. So, we should all
7:00
just be basically learning AI, AI, and
7:02
more AI. Anyway, that's it for this
7:05
video. I'll check you guys out on the
7:06
next one.
#Jobs
#Social Issues & Advocacy
#Discrimination & Identity Relations