For over three decades, the U.S labor market has attracted criticism from the minority groups mostly the blacks. Before the industrial revolution occurred, majority of the blacks provided cheap labor to the white’s farms. The form of employment during that time was informal as knowledge requirements were never a necessity. After the industrial revolution, focus shifted to individuals both black and whites sought for jobs within the established industries (Royster 123). The introduction of industries necessitated knowledge acquisition as roles became different from the initial forms. The blacks found for knowledge like their white counterparts so as to gain the required skills essential in formal jobs mostly referred to as blue collar jobs. The paper examines the reasons offered by market-oriented as well as Embeddedness perspectives critical in exploring racial discrimination in the labor market of U.S. Consideration and examination of the aspect is derived from three sociological works namely: Race and Invisible Hand, The Sociology of Work as well as How The Other Half Works. A prognosis regarding the future for these impacted groups is also given.
The first focus refers to Race and Invisible Hand by Deirdre Royster. She focuses on the aspect of derived by economists and other relevant stakeholders in trying to explain the reasons for racial discrimination in the U.S job market especially in the white collar jobs. Deidre acknowledges the fact that economists focus on demand and supply problems in explaining the challenges faced by the minorities, as well as the youth in the labor market. Deirdre asserts that economists explain that unemployment results from demand for some works or workers decline arising from cyclical downswings, as well as economic restructuring (Royster 32). That sort of cyclical unemployment lasts as it takes making workers search for jobs in other sectors of the growing economy. Conversely, when certain type of work demand increases, but organizations experience difficulties in accessing adequate supply f the right workers, problems of labor supply are associated with unfilled jobs and unemployment within the economy. Deirdre recognizes that in addition to the issues of supply and demand, employment difficulties arise from non-rational attitudes among employers. For example gender as well as racial discrimination among the economic actors. In other circumstances, the irrational behaviors may occur where low-skilled workers reject available low-skilled work opportunities. Although the financial markets dispute some of the irrational outcomes I what they term as free and healthy markets economy no one discusses the aspect of demand and supply. The author attributes to the selection of both supply and demand requirement to fill the required positions in order to attain equilibrium as accomplished through an infallible “invisible hand” that plays a significant role in sorting and selecting workers within the free economic market (Royster 49). Based on that logic, market approaches focusing on racial inequalities explains competitions in the labor market that leave blacks to occupy subordinate positions vis-à-vis their white counterparts as a differential ability function. Stephen attributes the approach to differential demand for some skills as well/ or differential methods of gauging the abilities possessed by prospective employees.
In exposing the inequalities within the labor market, Deirdre went further to explore Embeddedness approach as an alternative to the economic approach that suggests that personal as well as institutional contacts remain extremely valuable acting as an avenue to connect workers to employment opportunities. Lack of useful contacts, therefore, undermines many individuals in particular young and minority workers. In addressing the market approach and social Embeddedness, Invisible Hand Exposes the discrepancies as well as subtleties of a workplace that discriminates the black’s job seeker over their white counterparts (Royster 36). The question at the center of his study serves as a guiding point throughout his work. The author asks: “Is there something with young black men making them less desirable as workers while compared with their white peers?” He consequently questions if such desirability does not occur, and he asks the reason as to why black men trail their white counterparts in terms of earnings as well as employment rates. The author seeks the answer from twenty-five white men as well as an equal number of their black counterparts who graduated from one vocational college and found for employment in the same blue-collar market in the beginning of 1990’s. After a continuous and adequate examination of their educational performances, values as well as work ethics of the black men to identify unique deficiencies, the study revealed that the greatest difference arising between the white and black young men relates to access to the types of contracts that proves essential for determining factors that help in job search as well as entry process.
The second focus refers to How The Other Half Works. The book serves as an answer to the contemporary immigration puzzle of the Americans regarding immigration. The authors tend to explain the reason behind the why an increasingly high-tech economy still affords to use a lot of immigrants who fails to possess the necessary skills demanded by the current economies (Waldinger, et al 121). Through adoption of a clear as well as an engaging style, the authors focus on Los Angeles as the current capital of Americans immigrants. Waldigner and Lichter fail to concentrate on the key factors explaining the presence of immigrants within the American society taking into consideration their lack of skills. The book reveals a new approach the new economy follows indicating that the hiring process depends less on one’s own kind but on the right type in order to fit the demeaning, however indispensable, posts that majority of American workers disdain. The book indicates that highly skilled employees tend to hold negotiations on their behalf on issues such as changing employers, as well as the rapid turnaround of tasks and projects derived from upcoming knowledge-based network-based organizations (Waldinger, et al 153). The authors try to explain the reason for market inequalities behind the U.S labor market through identifying factors as unskilled labor among others that play a significant role towards employment. They consequently explain the reason for the influx of migrating unskilled laborers in the American labor market. Nevertheless, the book’s chief importance lies upon its continuous push of its agenda mentioned into the forefront ‘New Frontiers of Democratic Participation at Work.”
The last focus refers to The Sociology of Work: Structures and Inequalities. The book answers the importance of transparent affordable, and it discusses on how to engage introduction to the primary concepts that sociologists of work require. The authors explains the historical development of labor to enhance create an understanding relating to the issue of disparities established within the labor market in the U.S. in the authors work discrimination of black workers in the white color jobs holds no significant reason other than the aspect of racial discrimination (Vallas and William 59). The authors acknowledge the role played by blacks as subordinates while their white counterparts derive organizational benefits (Vallas and William 66). To them the aspect of discrimination in the U.S labor market stems from history where the whites believed the blacks were unequal to them. The notion still holds and continues to date. The authors dispute the aspect of economic market determines as causes of employment criteria. To them market Embeddedness attributed by history plays a crucial role in determining the person who gets the job. The authors indicate that the hiring process approach relies on structures of inequalities related to gender, ethnic and racial differences in the labor market. As opposed to other works, the authors go further to indicate the dangers of social inequalities related to hiring individuals on the basis of racial discrimination, ethnicity or gender.
In conclusion, it remains essential to provide a focus on the future for the impacted groups. Both the blacks and the whites are impacted by the employment trends within the U.S market sector. While the blacks and the minority groups remain disadvantaged in relation to the racial disparity among the two groups within the same economy (Vallas and William 58). The government needs to harness and the racial disparity arising within the labor market to enhance sustainability and stability within the nation. Employers and other economic agents need to harness the issue through giving equal opportunities for both the whites and blacks to avoid future revolts.
Works Cited
Royster, Deirdre A. Race and the Invisible Hand How White Networks Exclude Black Men from Blue-collar Jobs. Berkeley: U of California, 2013. Print.
Vallas, Steven P., and William Finlay. The Sociology of Work: Structures and Inequalities. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.
Waldinger, Roger David, and Michael Ira Lichter. How the Other Half Works Immigration and the Social Organization of Labor. Berkeley, Calif.: U of California, 2012. Print.
