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Andy Schor
Mayor | Lansing, MI

Lansings Equity Matrix to Provide Data to Improve Representation

Idea Category: Equity & Opportunity, Jobs and Entrepreneurship

Problem

The Economic Policy Institute identified that black and Latinx employees are underrepresented in “professional” jobs that pay more on average than other jobs. For example, white people make up 61.4% of the workforce, while black people make up 12.8%, Latinx 17.4%, and AAPI 7.4%. Within the next decade, eight of the ten major categories of professional occupations are expected to see above-average job growth. Therefore, if existing disparities in employment patterns persist, racial disparities in professional occupations are expected to widen.

Solution

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor launched the Equity Matrix, an online dashboard that monitors the racial and ethnic demographics of neighborhoods and the city’s workforce. The objective of the Equity Matrix is to decrease racial disparities in addition to assisting the City in planning for the present and future. The data will be used by the City of Lansing to help create strategic improvements in policies, practices, programs, and procedures, including recruitment and hiring practices and tracking progress in regards to diversity.