Barriers to quality, empowered jobs for working people in the Bay Area endanger the future of our economy.

Black and Native American workers in particular face persistent obstacles to getting and keeping good jobs. While employment rates fail to show the quality of jobs workers have, the racial disparities in this simple measure are still telling: for example, in Solano County, Black workers are the least likely to be employed

Not all job creation is good job creation.

Solano County has shown balanced job growth over the past 20 years, with very strong middle-wage job growth (79 percent from 1990-2021) accompanied by moderately strong growth in low- and high-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 Solano County has increased by 22 percent since 1990, while earned income has declined by 13 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 in the Bay Area 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 Solano County’s economy by more than 20 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 barriers and pay inequities cost Solano County’s economy an estimated $6 billion in unrealized GDP.

Solano County becomes more diverse every year, paving the way for unprecedented creativity, culture and innovation.

More than 60 percent of Solano 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 26 percent of adults in Solano County have at least a bachelor’s degree, far below the region-wide rate of 51 percent. Just 13 percent of Latinx adults and 21 percent of Black adults in the County 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.

Median wages for white workers in Solano are well above the county average, with white immigrant workers earning the most ($28/hour). At $16/hour, Latinx immigrants are paid the lowest median wages in the County — almost 30 percent below the overall median.

How much you get paid determines how much you can afford; 71 percent of working people in Solano County can afford basic family living expenses.

Just 58 percent of Latinx full-time working people in Solano County are paid enough to cover the cost of living for a family of four with two full-time working adults, compared to 80 percent of their white counterparts.

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

In Solano County, white workers make up 37 percent of the overall workforce, but 54 percent of those in management jobs. Latinx workers make up 26% of the total workforce but 53% of those in Construction and 38% of those in Food Preparation.

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

Across all racial groups, labor force participation is higher for male-identifying people. Among female-identifying people in Solano County, the gap is largest between Asian American and Latinx workers (75 percent and 63 percent labor force participation, respectively). Among male-identifying people, the largest gap is between Latinx adults (85 percent) and their Black counterparts (71 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 transportation, child care 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, and 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 Solano County, 69 percent of renter households headed by Black women are rent-burdened, by far the highest rate among any other racial/ethnic and gender groups.

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 9 percent of Latinx residents in Solano County do not have health insurance — 3 times the rate of their white counterparts.

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

People of color are not equitably represented in high-level elected offices, contributing to political and economic power imbalances. In Solano County, people of color are 63 percent of the population but hold just 34 percent of high-level elected offices. Increased economic and political power in communities of color can lead to a Bay Area that works for all of us.