A discussion with Solis follows here: HE&IT: Why did you want to be Labor secretary? What is the most fulfilling part of the job? The most challenging?
Solis: I have fought for working families, women, young people, veterans, people with disabilities and communities of color my entire career as a public servant. My goals as secretary of Labor are to fight for the rights and safety of workers, while providing them with job skills necessary to compete in the 21st century.
There are many fulfilling aspects of my work. For example, it heartens me when I meet those young people attending our Job Corps programs who are getting a second chance at life, and receiving an education and job skills. They are preparing themselves for careers, not just jobs, that will help them be successful in the future. Second, I see the good work of our staff at our One-Stop Career Centers across the country. These dedicated individuals are provid- ing others the help they need to find employment and prepare for the jobs of the future. Finally, I’m proud that
From securing workers’ wages and protecting their retirement, to ensuring a safe and secure workplace, the Department of Labor has regulations in place to protect workers and level the playing field for businesses that play by the rules.
We are putting workers and their safety first. This is not to say that we do not want businesses to succeed. On the contrary, we want to highlight and partner with companies that are doing the right things for their employees and provide them with assistance they need to be successful.
And while we work to ensure that employees have work- place protections, we also have made investments in our workforce and training programs. We have provided $720 million in grants for training in high demand careers such as clean and renewable energy, healthcare, and informa- tion technology. At the same time, we are partnering with labor organizations, the private sector, local and state governments, and nonprofits to ensure that everyone who wants a job has both the opportunity to have the job and the skills needed to perform it in this new economy.
“Given the importance of STEM fields to our na- tion’s global competitiveness, it is imperative that the United States produces a large and diverse pool of scientists and engineers.” —Secretary Solis
we have stepped up our enforcement efforts in the work- place to provide workers with a safe work environment as well as their right to fair pay.
Unfortunately, challenges remain. Partisan politics still hurt American families during these difficult economic times, and we continue to find employers that try to circumvent the system and exploit workers. Despite these roadblocks, we continue to forge ahead to stay true to the mission of the Department of Labor.
HE&IT: How would you describe the difference be- tween the department now and how it operated under Secretary Chao?
Solis: As a member of Congress, I spent years crafting legislation to protect American workers and their families. As the Labor secretary, my role now is to be a regulator. It is one that I take very seriously.
HE&IT: Unemployment among Afri- can Americans and Hispanics is run- ning well into double digits. When do you foresee that changing? Why are those rates so much higher than they are for whites?
Solis: Unemployment rates for African Americans and Hispanics have been historically higher than those for whites. This discrepancy is partially explained by lower educational attainment on
average. In 2007 (before the recession), the average unem- ployment rate for high school dropouts was 7.1 percent. For those with a high school diploma, the jobless rate was 4.4 percent, while for persons with some college, the rate was 3.6 percent. Persons with a bachelor’s degree or higher faced just a 2.0 percent unemployment rate.
But even blacks and Hispanics with the same educational attainment have higher unemployment rates than their white counterparts. Among those with a bachelor’s educa- tion, the unemployment rate in 2007 for blacks was 3.0 percent—which is very low but nonetheless higher than the 1.9 percent rate for college-educated whites. The job- less rate for college-educated Hispanics was 2.3 percent. The reasons for these disparities are not fully explained by level of educational attainment; some portion can certainly be attributable to a history of discrimination.
Recessions tend to exacerbate these differences. Workers with lower levels of educational attainment are particularly
20 HISPANIC ENGINEER & Information Technology | 2010
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