Disparities in minority unemployment targeted by Iowa officials

Underemployment of minority Iowans will be targeted by a special initiative of the State Workforce Development Board, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Monday.

The board is establishing a subcommittee with a goal of reducing minority joblessness by at least 5 percent within the next five years, or bringing the minority unemployment rate to a position that matches the state average for unemployment, Branstad said.

Iowa's statewide unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent in December. But, according to the latest Census information, African-Americans had an unemployment rate of 14.2 percent, Native Americans had a rate of 11 percent, Asian-Americans had a rate of 5.3 percent (other Pacific Islanders had a rate of 13.6 percent) and Hispanic Americans had a rate of 8.1 percent. The statewide average in the Census data was 3.9 percent.

“It is unacceptable that we have such a huge disparity between our average unemployment rate and the rates in our minority communities," Branstad said. "We must be focused in our efforts to address this issue, and the minority outreach subcommittee is the first step."

Marvin DeJear, director of the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families in Des Moines, said minorities are the fastest-growing segment of Iowa's population. He believes the state can't wait to address the unemployment disparities between minorities and the rest of the state's working population.

"We have to be more intentional about their success," DeJear said.

Four counties have been identified as pilot communities: Polk, Dubuque, Black Hawk and Pottawattamie. These counties were selected based on having high concentrations of minority residents and unemployment rates, state officials said.

Listening tours will be held in the spring, which will provide opportunities for members and leaders of the communities to gather a broad perspective and identify connections and influences within communities, state officials said. A strategic plan will then be developed. The subcommittee will be chaired by State Workforce Board member Andy Roberts, who is business manager for Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 33.

The push for the initiative came from former state Rep. Wayne Ford, a Democrat who represented an inner-city legislative district in Des Moines. Branstad and Reynolds announced the plans at a news conference in Des Moines at the Evelyn K. Davis Center, which helps individuals achieve career goals. The center is a partnership between the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, United Way of Central Iowa and Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).

Reynolds said the subcommittee's work will be aligned with the goals of the state's Future Ready Iowa Alliance, which seeks to have 70 percent of Iowa's workforce obtaining education or training beyond high school by the year 2025. She is co-chair of the alliance and said Iowa has a tremendous opportunity to close the skills gap in minority communities, while helping Iowa families find stable, good-paying jobs.

“Iowa offers programs that are working," Reynolds said. "We need to do a better job of matching those programs and job opportunities to Iowans who are eligible to take advantage of them."