African-Americans and Jobs

Few noticeable changes have occurred in the occupational situations of African-Americans since the 1990s. In 2002 African-Americans accounted for 10.9 percent of the civilian labor force age sixteen and over. Of the entire employed population of African Americans, 22.7 percent held managerial and professional positions, compared to 31.9 percent of employed white Americans. Only 26.3 percent of all employed African-American women and 18.6 percent of African-American men were managers and professionals, compared to 34.8 percent of employed white women and 29.5 percent of white men. (See Table 4.1.)

African-Americans are nearly twice as likely to work in service occupations. In 2002 some 22.7 percent of African-Americans worked in service occupations, compared to 12.8 percent of white Americans. (See Table 4.1.) Any growth in professional employment has generally occurred in fields at the lower end of the earnings scale—particularly among social and recreational workers, engineering and science technicians, vocational and educational counselors, practical nurses, and health technologists. These...