An ecological analysis of the relationship between a changing urban labor market and the employment status of blacks and nonblacks, both male and female, is presented in this article. The results indicate that the urban black work force is increasingly concentrated in areas with low employment growth, that differences in the level of local labor-market demand are more important than the sectoral composition of that demand for understanding racial differences in employment outcomes, and that educational level is significantly associated with the employment status of nonblacks only. These findings provide a basis for assessing recent versions of the mismatch hypothesis.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BARTON, M. , G. FARKAS, K. KUSHNER, and L. McCREARY (1985) "White, black, and Hispanic male youths in central city labor markets."Social Sci. Research14 (September): 266-286.
2.
BLALOCK, H. M. (1967) Toward a Theory of Minority Group Relations. New York: John Wiley.
3.
BORJAS, G. J. (1986) "The demographic determinants of the demand for black labor," pp. 191-230 in R. B. Freeman and H. J. Holzer (eds.) The Black Youth Employment Crisis. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
4.
BROWNING, H. and J. SINGLEMANN (1978) "The transformation of the U.S. labor force: the interaction of industry and occupation."Politics and Society8: 481-509.
5.
BROWNING, H. and J. SINGLEMANN (1980) "Industrial transformation and occupational change in the U.S., 1960-1970."Social Forces59 (September): 246-264.
6.
CLOGG, C. C. and T. A. SULLIVAN (1983) "Labor force composition and underemployment trends."Social Indicators Research18: 375-393.
7.
DiPRETE, T. A. (1981) "Unemployment over the life cycle: racial differences and the effect of changing economic conditions."Amer. J. of Sociology87 (September): 286-307.
8.
ELLWOOD, D. T. (1986) "The spatial mismatch hypothesis: are there teenage jobs missing in the ghetto?" pp. 147-185 in R. B. Freeman and H. J. Holzer (eds.) The Black Youth Employment Crisis. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
9.
FARKAS, G. , M. BARTON, and K. KUSHNER (1988) "White, black, and Hispanic female youths in central city labor markets."Soc. Q.29 (December): 605-622.
10.
FARLEY, R. (1984) Blacks and Whites: Narrowing the Gap?Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press.
11.
FREEMAN, R. B. and H. J. HOLZER (1986) "Summary of findings," pp. 3-20 in R. B. Freeman and H. J. Holzer (eds.) The Black Youth Employment Crisis. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
12.
FREEMAN, R. B. and D. WISE [eds.] (1982) The Youth Labor Market Problem: Its Nature, Causes, and Consequences. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
13.
GRANT, J. and D. HAMERMESH (1981) "Labor market competition among youths, white women and others."Rev. of Economics and Statistics63 (3): 354-360.
14.
HANNAN, M. (1979) "Issues in panel analysis of national development: a methodological overview," pp. 17-33 in J. Meyer and M. Hannan (eds.) National Development and the World System. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
15.
HEISE, D. R. (1970) "Causal inference from panel data," pp. 3-27 in E. R. Borgatta and G. W. Borhnstedt (eds.) Sociological Methodology, 1970. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
16.
HILL, R. (1981) Economic Policies and Black Progress: Myths and Realities. Washington, DC: National Urban League.
17.
HODSON, R. and R. L. KAUFMAN (1982) "Economic dualism: a critical review."Amer. Soc. Rev.47 (December): 727-739.
18.
KAIN, J. F. (1968) "Housing segregation, Negro employment, and metropolitan decentralization."Q. J. of Economics82 (May): 175-197.
19.
KASARDA, J. D. (1983) "Entry-level jobs, mobility, and urban minority unemployment."Urban Affairs Q.19 (September): 21-40.
20.
KASARDA, J. D. and J. FRIEDRICHS (1985) "Comparative demographic-employment mismatches in U.S. and West German cities."Research in the Sociology of Work3: 1-30.
21.
LICHTER, D. T. (1988) "Racial differences in underemployment in American cities."Amer. J. of Sociology93 (January): 771-792.
22.
LOGAN, J. R. and R. M. GOLDEN (1986) "Suburbs and satellites: two decades of change."Amer. Soc. Rev.51 (June): 430-437.
23.
LOGAN, J. R. and M. SCHNEIDER (1984) "Racial segregation and racial change in American suburbs."Amer. J. of Sociology89 (January): 874-888.
24.
MARE, R. D. and C. WINSHIP (1984) "The paradox of lessening racial inequality and joblessness among black youth: enrollment, enlistment, and employment, 1964-1981."Amer. Soc. Rev.49 (February): 39-55.
25.
MASSEY, D. S. and N. A. DENTON (1988) "Suburbanization and segregation in U.S. metropolitan areas."Amer. J. of Sociology94 (November): 592-626.
26.
MEYER, R. and D. WISE (1983) "The effects of the minimum wage on the employment and earnings of youth."J. of Labor Economics (January): 66-100.
27.
MOONEY, J. (1969) "Housing segregation, Negro employment, and metropolitan decentralization: an alternative perspective."Q. J. of Economics83 (May): 299-311.
28.
MUELLER, C. (1974) "City effects on socioeconomic achievement: the case of large cities."Amer. Soc. Rev.39 (October): 652-667.
29.
OFFNER, P. and D. SAKS (1971) "A note on John Kain's `Housing segregation, Negro employment, and metropolitan decentralization.' "0. J. of Economics85 (February): 147-160.
30.
PARCEL, T. (1979) "Race, regional labor markets, and earnings."Amer. Soc. Rev.44 (April): 262-279.
31.
SULLIVAN, T. A. (1978) "Racial-ethnic differences in labor force participation: an ethnic stratification perspective," pp. 165-187 in F. D. Bean and W. P. Frisbie (eds.) The Demography of Racial and Ethnic Groups. New York: Academic Press.
32.
TIENDA, M. and J. GLASS (1985) "Household structure and labor force participation of black, Hispanic, and white mothers."Demography22 (August): 381-394.
33.
TIENDA, M. and D-T. LII (1988) "Minority concentration and earnings inequality: blacks, Hispanics, and Asians compared."Amer. J. of Sociology93 (July): 141-165.
34.
U.S. Bureau of the Census (1972) Census of the Population, 1970: General Social and Economic Characteristics (State Editions). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
35.
U.S. Bureau of the Census (1983) Census of the Population, 1980: General Social and Economic Characteristics (State Editions). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
36.
U.S. Bureau of the Census (1984) Current Population Survey: January 1984 [MRDF]. Washington, DC: Author.
37.
WILSON, W. J. (1987) The Truly Disadvantaged. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
