Everyone who wants to work should have quality, empowered jobs.

Black workers in particular face persistent obstacles to getting and keeping good jobs, and Black workers were slowest to recover following pandemic job hits. While employment rates fail to show the quality of jobs workers have, the racial disparities in this simple measure still exist. In San Mateo County, Black adults are the least likely to be employed (78%), contrasted with Asian American adults who are most likely to be employed (84%).

Not all job creation is good job creation.

In San Mateo County, middle-wage job growth has been very strong (66 percent from 1990-2021), a positive sign for economic mobility from lower-wage jobs.

Economic growth should benefit all workers and communities.

Bay Area decision-makers have implemented economic policies that created unprecedented wealth in our region for those in the highest wage jobs, at the expense of those in low and middle wage jobs.

Pay for the highest-earning workers in San Mateo County has increased by 72 percent since 1990, while earned income has declined by 4 percent over the same period for those in the lowest-paid jobs.

Worker power is the only time tested, scalable strategy to create family-sustaining jobs.

Strengthening unions and other forms of organizing that build collective power among working people is essential to improving job quality, and can increase the availability of a skilled workforce. In the Bay Area, Native American and Black workers are most likely to belong to unions. But overall, more than five out of six workers in the region are not protected by union membership.

Eliminating barriers to employment and closing racial wage gaps could boost San Mateo County’s economy by about 33 percent.

The Bay Area is at a crossroads. We can either double down on the inequitable economic and employment trends of the past 40 years, or reimagine an economy that is powered by the full collective potential of our region. In 2020 alone, employment and wage inequities cost San Mateo County’s economy an estimated $46 billion in unrealized GDP.

San Mateo County becomes more diverse every year. Economic opportunity does not.

63 percent of San Mateo County residents are people of color. This diversity can be a cornerstone of a thriving Bay Area economy, if children, families, and working people of color are allowed to reach their full potential.

Educational attainment is an important contributor to economic freedom. Persistent racial inequities in education must be eliminated.

About 55 percent of adults in San Mateo County have at least a bachelor’s degree. This includes two thirds of white and Asian American adults, but fewer than one in four Latinx and Pacific Islander adults have a four-year degree.

The Bay Area economy is controlled by those who benefit the most from the status quo; inequities preserve political power for the few.

White workers in San Mateo County are paid about 28 percent more than the County’s median wage, while US-born Latinx workers are paid about 25 percent less than the median. At $16/hour, Latinx immigrants are paid the lowest median wages in San Mateo County — 49 percent less than the overall median.

How much you get paid determines how much you can afford; just over half of working people in San Mateo County can afford basic family living expenses.

Only 47 percent of Black and 26 percent of Latinx full-time working people in San Mateo County are paid enough to cover the cost of living for a family of four with two full-time working adults, compared to 68 percent of their white counterparts.

Working people of color continue to be concentrated in lower-wage jobs.

Black and Latinx working people are crowded in occupations that tend to offer lower quality jobs, while white and Asian American working people are overrepresented in several high-paying fields.

In San Mateo County, Latinx workers make up 24 percent of the overall workforce, but 73 percent of those in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance jobs. White workers are 37 percent of the overall workforce, but only 8 percent of workers in that same job category.

Quality, empowered jobs are critical, but everyone must be able to compete for them.

Across all racial groups in San Mateo County, labor force participation is higher for male-identifying people. Among female-identifying people, the gap is largest between Latinx and Asian American adults (72 and 80 percent labor force participation, respectively). Among male-identifying people, the largest gap is between Black adults (78 percent) and Asian American (89 percent). To ensure all people have access to quality jobs, systemic and structural changes are needed that address bias in hiring and the inequitable availability of child care, transportation, and housing.

The lack of Bay Area housing affordability is both a driver and a result of inequities in the Bay Area economy.

People of color, especially women of color, shoulder the greatest burden of the lack of affordable housing in the Bay Area. Outrageous housing costs and unlivable wages force too many families to choose between paying rent, paying for other essential needs, or moving out of their communities. In San Mateo County, 65 percent of renter households headed by Latina women are rent-burdened, by far the highest rate among any racial/ethnic and gender group.

Many Bay Area working people face extremely long and expensive commutes resulting in less take-home pay, higher child care costs, and lower quality of life.

High housing costs in areas where jobs are concentrated mean that low-income workers who rely on public transit have the longest average commutes in the Bay Area. About 7 percent of Black and Native American workers spend 90 minutes or more traveling to work, one way. All workers deserve access to safe and affordable transportation with a reasonable commute time. Not only are shorter commutes better for workers, they are also better for communities and the environment.

Health care access continues to look very different across races and ethnicities.

Safe and healthy working people means healthy families, strong communities and thriving businesses. Yet one in twelve Latinx residents in San Mateo County do not have health insurance — four times the rate of their white counterparts.

For a diverse, prosperous and equitable future, our political leaders must reflect the Bay Area community.

In San Mateo County, people of color account for 61 percent of the population and only hold 17 percent of elected offices (all Latinx leaders). Increased economic and political power in communities of color can lead to a Bay Area that works for all of us.