Black workers’ views and experiences in the U.S. labor force stand out in key ways
Black workers account for about 13% of all U.S. workers, including those who work full time, part time and are self-employed.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Black workers account for about 13% of all U.S. workers, including those who work full time, part time and are self-employed.
Young workers express general contentment with many aspects of work; personal connections like relationships with co-workers stand out.
Most workers are highly satisfied with their relationship with their co-workers and manager, but relatively few feel the same about their pay or opportunities for promotion.
Most self-employed workers (62%) say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job, compared with 51% of those who are not self-employed.
Here’s a closer look at what recent surveys have found about Americans’ views of affirmative action.
Workplace diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, or DEI, are increasingly becoming part of national political debates. For a majority of employed U.S. adults (56%), focusing on increasing DEI at work is a good thing. But relatively small shares of workers place a lot of importance on diversity at their workplace.
The gender wage gap narrows as women move into high-skill jobs and acquire more education. Women are now in the majority in jobs that draw most heavily on either social or fundamental skills.
A majority of Americans would like to see more women in top leadership positions in business and politics, but many are skeptical there will ever be gender parity in these areas. Views about the state of female leadership vary by party and gender.
Women in STEM jobs are more likely than their male counterparts to have experienced discrimination in the workplace and to believe that discrimination is a major reason there are not more women in STEM.
As the U.S. work environment continues to shift, the public is adapting to the new realities of the workplace and rethinking the skills they need to compete.
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