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MAR 8 019ft U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Bureau of Labor Statistics

WUMm COLLECTION

Bulletin 1731 

1972

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JUN2 1972

DOCUMENT COLLECTION

The last sentence, paragraph 1, page 1, "Introduction,” should read "Th e

change in the occupational distribution of black workers has had the effect

of reducing their unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage point, and of increasing earnings more than $10 a week for full-tim e workers.”

Chart 3b, page 7, should read:

IN 1970, THE BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 8.2% • • •

COMPARED WITH OVER 10% IN 1960.

Part of this reduction resulted from occupational advancementespecial ly of black men.

Chart 3b.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF BLACK WORKERS

Percent

Reduction due to

.occupational advance

Reduction due to improved

•-employment opportunities

1960 1970

Occupational change had little or no effect on white unemployment rates.

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• .

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

J. D. Hodgson, Secretary

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Geoffrey H. Moore, Commissioner

Bulletin 1731 

1972

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 40 cents

Stock Number 2901-0867

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PREFACE

This chartbook was prepared by Sylvia Small in the Office of Economic and Social Research, Bureau of Labor Statistics, under the

general direction of Robert L. Stein.

Maxine Stewart, Program Planning Officer of the Bureau, provided

expert guidance.

Marian Hester was responsible for the statistical compilations

underlying the charts and Susie Scandrett also contributed.

Ill

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Introduction__________________________________________________ 1

Opportunities for occupational advancement of

black workers have been im p ro vin g______________________ 2

The higher paid occupations tend to be

more secure_______________________________________________ 4

Occupational change has led to higher earnings

and lower unemployment for black w o rkers_______________ 6

Occupational advancement is related to a better

prepared black population_________________________________ 8

Black youths are staying in school longer, and

more are going to co llege_________________________________ 10

The effect of educational and occupational advance

is most apparent among young black w o rkers_____________ 12

Educational and occupational achievements, of

both young and old, have been higher in the

West and North than in the South _________________________ 14

As a result of wider job choices and increased job

security, incomes of black workers have

increased__________________________________________________ 16

The im provement in black workers' jobs and security

has reduced, but not elim inated, low earners in

the labor fo rc e ____________________________________________ 18

The future holds great pro m ise_______________________________ 20

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INTRODUCTION

Black workers have been moving up the occupational scale in

recent years, away from the laborer and service occupations and

toward white-collar, craftsmen, and operative jobs. In 1960, 2 in

every 5 black workers were in white-collar, craftsmen, or operative

occupations. By 1970, more than half were in such jobs. These

occupations are less subject to unemployment and they are better

paid. The change in the occupational distribution of black workers

has had the effect of reducing their unemployment rate by nearly

two points (1 .8 percentage points) and of increasing earnings

more than $ 1 0 a week for full-tim e workers.

The charts that follow separate the black labor force* into three

occupational groups for analysis: The highest paid occupations,

which include professional, technical, and managerial workers,

whose usual earnings (m edian) for black men working full tim e were

over $ 1 5 0 a week in 1970; the middle pay levels, including clerical

and sales workers, craftsmen and foremen whose usual earnings

(median of black men working full tim e) were $ 1 0 0 -$ 1 5 0 a week;

and the lower paid occupations whose usual earnings (median of

black men working full tim e) were $ 1 0 0 a week or less. The charts

show that black workers in the lowest occupational pay groupings

tend to have the lowest educational attainm ent, and that as one

proceeds up the occupational hierarchy education also increases.

Lack of education has often been a barrier to employment in the

higher paid occupations, whether required for perform ance of a

job or not. Since educational attainm ent is much greater for young

black workers than for older age groups, and since the trend toward increasing education continues, prospects are encouraging

for continued occupational advancement.

*Data for black workers shown in this report refer to the Negro population exclusively in

chart 5a, 5b, 7a, and 8b. All other charts are based on data for Negro and other nonwhite races, 90 percent of whom are Negroes, according to the 1970 Census of Population.

1

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O PPO RTUNITIES FOR

OCCUPATIONAL A D VA N C EM EN T OF BLACK W ORKERS

HAVE BEEN IM PRO VING . . .

BETWEEN 1960 AND 1970, THE NUMBER OF BLACK WORKERS IN HIGHERPAID AND MIDDLE LEVEL OCCUPATIONS* INCREASED SHARPLY . . .

Chart la .

BLACK WORKERS

Millions of employed 

------------------------------------- 9

1960 1970

. . . while the number of black workers in lower-paid occupations decreased.

* See Introduction, page 1, for occupational pay level definitions.

2

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GAINS OF WHITE WORKERS WERE SMALLER, PROPORTIONATELY . . .

Chart lb .

WHITE WORKERS

Millions of employed 

-------------------------------------90

Higher paid*

Professional

Technical &

Managerial

Middle pay level*

Clerical

Sales

Craftsmen &

Operatives

Lower paid*

Service workers

workers

Farm workers

<

<

Percent

Change

1960 1970

. .. but the share and number of white workers employed in the higher- paid

occupations continued to be much larger than for black workers.

3

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THE HIG HER-PAID

OCCUPATIONS TEN D TO BE

M O RE S E C U R E ...

BLACK MEN IN THE PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL, AND MANAGERIAL

OCCUPATIONS EARNED ABOUT $75 A WEEK MORE THAN LABORERS AND

SERVICE WORKERS . . .

Chart 2a.

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS, MAY 1970

(MEDIAN FOR FULL TIME WORKERS)

Higher

paid

Professional

& technical

Managers,

officials

& proprietors®

Craftsmen

& foremen®

Middle

pay <

level

Lower

paid

MEN

WOMEN

200

The usual earnings of black women in each occupation were generally lower than

those of men.

'N u m b e r of women employed in this occupation is too small to be shown separately.

®:!Num ber of men employed in this occupation is too small to be shown separately.

4

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THE HIGHER-PAID OCCUPATIONS HAVE THE LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT

RATES. ..

Chart 2b.

1970 UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

OF BLACK WORKERS

Higher paid

Middle pay level

Lower paid

$ 0 2 4 6 8 10

MEN

WOMEN

And black workers in the higher-paid occupations are rarely unemployed more than

once in a single year.

Chart 2c.

PERCENT UNEMPLOYED MORE THAN ONCE IN 1970 OF

ALL BLACK WORKERS

Higher paid

Middle paid

Lower paid

White men’s unemployment rates are lower, but follow the same pattern.

Women as well as men have the lowest unemployment rates in the

higher-paid occupations.

5

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OCCUPATIONAL CHANG E HAS LED

TO H IG H E R EARNING S W ITH LOWER U N E M P L O Y M E N T

FOR BLACK W ORKERS . . .

IN 1970, AVERAGE EARNINGS OF BLACK MEN WERE 11% HIGHER, AND OF

BLACK WOMEN ABOUT 3 0 % HIGHER THAN THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN IF THE

BLACK LABOR FORCE HAD NOT BEEN MOVING INTO THE BETTER PAYING

OCCUPATIONS . . .

Chart 3a.

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF FULL-TIME BLACK WORKERS (MEDIAN)

Dollars

125

MEN

Earnings 

attributable to 

occupational 

advances 1960-70

Similar occupational movement of white men contributed less than 3 % , and of

white^women about 4 % to 1970 earnings.

6

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IN 1970, THE BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 8 .2 % . . . BUT IT WOULD

HAVE BEEN 10 % IF OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE BLACK LABOR

FORCE HAD BEEN THE SAME AS IN 1960.

Chart 3b.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF BLACK WORKERS

Percent

Based on 1960

occupational distribution 1970

Reduction 

because of 

occupational 

advance

Occupational change had little or no effect on white unemployment rates.

7

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O CCUPATIO NAL A D VA N C EM EN T

IS R E L A T E D TO A B E T T E R P R E P A R E D

BLACK POPULATIO N . . .

BETTER EDUCATED BLACK WORKERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FILL

HIGHER-PAID JOBS.

Chart 4a.

Higher paid 

\

With 4 years 

of high school 

or more

Without 

a high school 

diploma

Higher educational attainment leads to higher occupational attainment for both

men and women.

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YOUNG BLACK ADULTS HAVE BEEN CLOSING THE EDUCATION GAP.

Chart 4b.

MEDIAN YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED BY YOUNG ADULTS

(25-29 YEARS OLD)

Years

By 1970, educational attainment of young black adults was within one-half year of

young white people this age. Lack of education is often a barrier to employment

in better paid jobs for both black and white workers, whether education is

required for performance of the job or not.

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BLACK YO U TH S ARE

STAYING IN SCHOOL LONGER A N D M O R E

ARE G O ING TO COLLEGE . . .

BY 1970, MORE THAN HALF OF THE YOUNG BLACK ADULTS HAD FOUR YEARS

OF HIGH SCHOOL OR MORE . . .

Chart 5a.

PERCENT OF BLACK POPULATION AGES 25-29 WHO HAD COMPLETED

4 YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL OR MORE, AND 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE

Percent

60

“ Data refer to Negro and other races. College data not available.

10

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. AND COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS INCREASED SHARPLY.

Chart 5b.

NUMBER OF BLACK YOUTH ENROLLED IN COLLEGE

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

%

Percent of 

total

enrollment

100,000

5 6% 7 %

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T H E EFFECT OF EDUCATIO NAL

A N D OCCUPATIONAL ADVANCE IS M O S T APPARENT

A M O N G YO U N G BLACK W ORKERS .. .

YOUNGER BLACK WORKERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE IN HIGHER PAID

OCCUPATIONS THAN ARE OLDER AGE GROUPS . . .

Chart 6a.

Percent

Ages Ages Ages

25-34 35-54 55-64

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HOWEVER, DESPITE GAINS MADE BY THE YOUNG, MANY ARE STILL IN THE

LOWEST PAID OCCUPATIONS.

Chart 6b.

BLACK WORKERS AS A PERCENT OF YOUNG WORKERS AGES 25-34,

BY OCCUPATIONAL PAY LEVEL

Percent

> White workers

> Black workers

0 — J

Higher

paid

Middle pay 

level

Lower

paid

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EDUCATIO NAL AND OCCUPATIONAL ACHIEVEM ENTS

OF BLACK W ORKERS, BO TH YO UNG AND OLD, HAVE BEEN H IG H E R

IN TH E WEST AND N O R T H * TH A N IN TH E SO U TH

NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS OF THE YOUNG BLACK MEN IN THE WEST, AND

ONE-HALF OF THOSE IN THE NORTH HAD FINISHED FOUR YEARS OF HIGH

SCHOOL OR MORE BY 1970, COMPARED WITH JUST OVER ONE-THIRD IN

THE SOUTH . . .

Chart 7a.

PERCENT OF BLACK WORKERS WITH 4 YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL OR MORE

Percent

100

Young men 

ages 25-44

Older men 

ages 45-64

75

West North South West North South

* North is composed of Northeast and North Central regions.

14

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TWO-THIRDS OF THE BLACK WORKERS IN THE WEST AND NORTH ARE IN

THE HIGHER OR MIDDLE PAY LEVEL OCCUPATIONS, COMPARED WITH

ONE-HALF OF THE BLACK WORKERS IN THE SOUTH.

Chart 7b.

Higher paid

> Middle pay level

> Lower paid

15

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AS A R E S U L T OF W ID E R JO B C H O IC E S,

A N D INCREASED JOB SECURITY, IN C O M E S OF

BLACK W ORKERS HAVE INCREASED . . .

THE PROPORTION OF BLACK MEN WITH OVER $10,000 EARNINGS*

QUADRUPLED BETWEEN 1959 AND 1969 . . . BUT WAS STILL FAR BELOW

THAT OF WHITE MEN.

Chart 8a.

PERCENT WITH EARNINGS OF $10,000 OR MORE IN CONSTANT DOLLARS*

Percent

40 -------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------

MEN WOMEN

1959 1969

Black and white women lagged behind both black and white men in achieving

such earnings, despite gains during the decade.

*ln constant 1969 dollars for Negro and other races.

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THE PERCENT WITH INCOME OF $10,000 OR MORE WAS MUCH LARGER IN

THE WEST AND THE NORTH THAN IN THE SOUTH FOR BOTH BLACK AND

WHITE MEN.

Chart 8b.

PERCENT OF PERSONS WITH INCOMES OF $10,000 OR MORE IN 1969*

Percent

MEN WOMEN

White

However, few women earn such incomes in any region.

*D ata for black men and women refer to Negroes, only.

17

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TH E IM P R O V E M E N T IN BLACK W O RKERS’

JOBS A N D SECURITY HAS REDUCED, B U T N O T E LIM IN ATED,

LOW EARNERS IN TH E LABOR F O R C E . ..

THERE WAS A SHARP REDUCTION BETWEEN 1959 AND 1969 IN THE PERCENT

OF BLACK MEN AND BLACK WOMEN WITH EARNINGS UNDER $3,000*.

Chart 9a

But more than half of all black women and two-fifths of all white women still had

such earnings in 1969.

' Annual earnings in constant dollars.

18

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TWO-THIRDS OF THE BLACK MEN AND WOMEN WITH LESS THAN $3,000

EARNINGS IN 1970 WERE IN THE LOWER-PAID OCCUPATIONS.

Chart 9b

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THE FU TU RE

HOLDS

GREAT P R O M IS E . . .

BY 1980, A MUCH LARGER SHARE OF THE BLACK LABOR FORCE

WILL BE YOUNG . . .

Chart 10a.

PERCENT OF BLACK LABOR FORCE UNDER 35 YEARS OF AGE

Percent

100 -------------------------------------------

75

50

25 —

1960 1970 1980*

* Projection

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. . . AND BETTER EDUCATED.

Chart 10b.

PERCENT HAVING 4 YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL OR MORE, AGES 25-34

Percent

100 -------------------------------------------

1970 1980*

As a result, a larger proportion of black workers is expected to be in the better

paid occupations.

Projection

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SOURCES OF DATA

Chart

la: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current 

Population Survey, Annual Averages, 1960 and 1970.

lb: See Chart 1A.

2a: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, May 

1970.

2b: See Chart 1A.

2c: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Work 

Experience of the Population in 1969, unpublished data.

3a: See Chart 1A and Chart 2A.

3b: See Chart 1A.

4a: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Educational Attainment of Workers, March 1970, unpublished data.

4b: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current 

Population Report Series P-20, Nos. 138, 182, and 207.

5a: See Chart 4B.

5b: Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports Series 

P-20, Nos. 148, 179, and 222.

6a: See Chart 1A.

6b: See Chart 1A.

7a: See Chart 4 A.

7b: See Chart 1A.

8a: Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Consumer 

Income, and unpublished data.

8b: See Chart 8A.

9a: See Chart 8A.

9b: See Chart 8A.

10a: Bureau of Labor Statistics, The U.S. Economy in 1980, BLS 

Bulletin 1673. (1970)

10b: Johnston, Denis. “ Education of Adult Workers: Projections to 

1985," Monthly Labor Review, August 1970.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1972— 0-456-707

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20212

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