An Investigation of Employment and Wage Distribution in the Construction Industry by Race/Ethnicity and Gende

One of the largest job providers in the U.S, is the construction industry, an industry that suffers from critical problems pertaining to a labor shortage. Yet the industry also struggles with insufficient interest and inconsistent participation from underrepresented demographic groups. To address the issue of workforce income inequality and bias, the industry must better understand the current situation regarding inequality; it needs to pinpoint some basic problems. To do so, analysts must scrutinize the following aspects: 1) the current differences within the construction workforce by race/ethnicity and gender with regards to the total employment and 2) the current disparity within the construction workforce by race/ethnicity and gender with regards to wage distribution. To help address this need, this study analyzes current differences within the construction workforce by race/ethnicity and gender. The study confirms that the gaps in employment and wage distribution for minorities still exist and that over the years the trend has remained steady. Furthermore, the study also identifies occupations within the construction industry where discernable gaps can be observed in terms of employment and wage for race/ethnicity and gender. The products from this research will contribute to the body of workforce knowledge in the construction and broaden participation in engineering. By achieving these objectives, this work should help decision makers reduce income disparity where it is necessary and lead to improved interest and sustained participation in the construction across underrepresented demographic groups. The primary beneficiaries of this research will be African American, Hispanic, and women in the construction industry.