Addressing Employment Inequality in the City of Long Beach

— BY ERIKA VAN SICKEL, MASTER IN PLANNING STUDENT —

The following is a modified version of the data story originally posted on the Neighborhood Data for Social Change platform, a project of the USC Price Center for Social Innovation.

Unemployment Rates in Long Beach City

All-time low unemployment rates for the City of Long Beach made headlines last June in the Economic Development Department’s press release. The press release highlighted a steady drop in unemployment since 2010, reaching 4.1 percent in May 2018.

While this is good news, a deeper look at census tracts reveals that the city still had areas with some of the highest unemployment rates in Los Angeles County — as high as 33.63 percent in 2016, according to five-year American Community Survey estimates. The tracts with higher unemployment rates are primarily located in the south central and downtown Long Beach areas of the city. Click on the map below to view an interactive data map.

Racial Disparity in Income

Median household income levels also vary significantly across the city. Although the 2016 median family income for Long Beach was $55,151 – relatively similar to the county average – income levels varied greatly across the city’s census tracts. In the west side median household income levels were as low as $11,736, while they reached as high as $122,526 in the east side. Click on the map below to view an interactive data map.

Large wealth or income gaps between different groups often go hand in hand with increases in crime and unemployment, and decreases in health and educational attainment (Birdsong, 2015). Such changes will often exacerbate existing inequalities, ultimately stifling growth for cities as a whole. Click on the bar chart below to go to an interactive version of the figure.

What Is the City Doing? The Economic Development Blueprint

While the stark economic inequalities that exist in Long Beach are troubling, the city has recognized that changes need to be made to address the disparities that exist among communities of color. In spring 2017, the city adopted the Economic Development Blueprint, the driving force behind a 10-year vision of Long Beach. The blueprint includes four goals that range from emphasizing inclusivity and providing job opportunities to residents, to establishing Long Beach as a leader in education, business expansion and entrepreneurial growth.

The blueprint aims to achieve these goals by focusing on seven core areas. One such area, jobs and workforce development, focuses on reducing the unemployment rate through the alignment of economic development, training, education and community partner efforts. To achieve these objectives, the city has partnered with the Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network (PGWIN). PGWIN connects adults, youth and businesses by linking job seekers to employment opportunities, giving them the possibility to build their skills and contribute to their community. Additionally, it works to connect skilled workers to businesses, helping them to strengthen their organization.

“Long Beach is very fortunate that we have a low unemployment rate, but we know those economic opportunities aren’t reaching every neighborhood in our city and this effort is going to be part of that.” — Economic Development Commission Chair Randal Hernandez

‘Everyone In’ Economic Inclusion Initiative

Last November, the city council approved a package of initiatives to improve the economic opportunities for all residents, called the “Everyone In” Economic Inclusion Initiative. Presented to the city council by then Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, the initiative targets a number of recommendations from the city’s Economic Development Blueprint, including: (1) providing access to free checking and savings accounts as well as financial literacy education to youth participants in Long Beach workforce development programs; (2) conducting an economic equity study on the city; (3) establishing Long Beach as a “Kiva City” by launching a community-sponsored micro-loan campaign for local small businesses; (4) developing an “Everyone In” Economic Inclusion Listening Tour.

‘Everyone In’ Economic Inclusion Listening Tour

As part of the “Everyone In” Initiative, the city planned the Economic Inclusion Listening Tour, a series of equity-framed focus groups held in March and April 2018. These “community conversations” sought diverse community members’ perspectives on local economic inequities and on creating solutions and initiatives to address these issues. These insights and solutions were summarized into six key findings in economic development and 12 community solutions which included establishing youth workforce development programs and diverse workforce development strategies, developing internships and apprenticeships, providing small business development support and offering access to affordable childcare. The findings and solutions were published in the Economic Inclusion Listening Tour Summary Report (download here) and presented at the “Everyone In” Economic Equity Summit.

‘Everyone In’ Economic Equity Summit and Profile

To continue building the initiative’s momentum, the city hosted the “Everyone In” Economic Equity Summit this past May. More than 200 community members — including local business and community leaders, policymakers and philanthropic partners — came together for a daylong conversation. The city revealed its listening-tour findings, centered on innovative approaches for creating an equitable and inclusive environment that will benefit every Long Beach resident. Additionally, PolicyLink, the Office of Equity’s partner, offered preliminary findings from its Economic Equity Profile for the City of Long Beach.

In partnership with PolicyLink’s All-In Cities Initiative, the Office of Equity is conducting an economic equity study focused on identifying the economic challenges and opportunities that the Long Beach community is facing. Findings from the study will help to guide future strategies, support advocacy and measure progress.

Full findings will be available later this fall. To view this article’s sources, click here.