The Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

The research explores the technology workforce environment in Long Beach by examining disparities in employee representation and wages across demographic variables, namely race, ethnicity, and gender. Qualitative interviews conducted with stakeholders informed perceived challenges to nurturing equity in the Long Beach technology workforce, such as a lack of diversity in candidate pools, inadequate internal corporate education, and demographic disparities by position and salary.A quantitative analysis of racial, gender, and ethnic disparities in the representation and earnings of Long Beach’s resident technology workforce also revealed persistent trends. Representation, rather than wages, is the biggest contributor to gaps in gross earnings, women are the most underrepresented in the Long Beach resident technology workforce, and aerospace and healthcare are uniquely represented industries in the City. The combined research ultimately informed recommendations for different types of stakeholders. Corporate stakeholders can develop their own frameworks for equity, thoroughly train staff members and hiring managers on how to reach defined goals, conduct and publish metrics for public viewing to increase accountability, and focus on the hiring and retention of underrepresented groups especially in high-ranking, high-salaried roles. City and public sector agencies can use the traction gained by aerospace publicity to broaden the focus of their programs to additional technology industries and apply representation and wage data to steer funding. Ecosystem partners can focus on foundational youth education and partner early in a student’s academic career to successfully support the transition from the classroom to the workforce. Most importantly, all stakeholders can develop meaningful connections and relationships with community members to drive equity efforts.