In Simple Words
Structural mitigation acts like a trusted third-party sponsor that opens locked corporate doors. Sectoral training organizations build direct relationships with major employers, vouching for minority candidates' technical skills and providing ongoing post-hire support to help workers and managers navigate workplace bias and friction.
Young adults seeking work
- Without YearUp
- 4% worked in IT in year three
- With YearUp
- 37% worked in IT in year three
YearUp year-three IT employment was 37% in the program group and 4% in the control group. This comparison is explicitly included in the original card. The source reports the overall program comparison, not race-specific rates or a narrowing of the racial earnings gap.
See source →Research question
Persistent racial wage disparities exist in the United States, where workers of color encounter structural barriers and employer discrimination that restrict access to high-paying industries. Traditional hiring channels often amplify these disparities by relying on informal networks and subjective recruitment criteria.
Participants
Human workforce data from the U.S. Current Population Survey (EPI analysis 2000-2019) alongside minority job seekers in evaluated sectoral programs.
Study Design
Observational national wage trend analysis by Gould (2020) combined with synthesis of randomized controlled trial outcomes for minority participants across YearUp, Per Scholas, and Project QUEST.
Results
From 2000 to 2019, Black workers' median wages were 75.6% of white workers' median wages; sectoral interventions generated earnings gains for workers of color driven by a 33 percentage point increase in IT sector placement (37% vs 4%, p < 0.01) in YearUp and an 8 percentage point increase in technical health roles (29.4% vs 21.5%, p < 0.01) in Project QUEST.
Takeaway
Partner workforce initiatives with third-party industry advocates who verify candidate qualifications and provide employer-side post-hire retention counseling to overcome structural hiring barriers.
Source and citation
See source →Read alongside the research
Plain-English glossary
Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.
- Median
The middle number after arranging the values from smallest to largest. If there are two middle numbers, use their average.
ExampleFor the values 2, 4 and 12, the middle value is 4. The median is 4.
NIST · Measures of location ↗Read more about median →- Percentage points
The difference between two percentages.
ExampleA rise from 40% to 50% is 10 percentage points. Relative to the starting value, that is a 25% increase.
Office for National Statistics · Percentages ↗Read more about percentage points →- Randomized controlled trial
A study that uses chance, like drawing lots, to decide who receives each option being compared. Researchers compare the groups’ outcomes to estimate the effect of those options.
ExampleA lottery assigns volunteers to a training programme or a comparison group. Researchers then compare their outcomes.
GET-IT glossary · Randomized study ↗Read more about randomized controlled trial →