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Dallas plans to grow the Black and Latino workforce

The view of the Dallas Skyline from Dallas City Hall.
Keren Carrión
/
ĻӰԺ
A view of the Dallas downtown skyline from the City Hall Plaza on a sunny summer day.

The COVID pandemic didn’t stop job growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But Black and Latino residents are getting left behind — and the City of Dallas wants to change that.

A new report, , outlines ways to sustain and foster a diverse workforce.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area gained the most jobs out of the largest 100 metro areas in the country, from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. But Texas unemployment rates continue to show .

“To truly build for our city's future, and specifically the future of southern Dallas, we have to think about the people who can fill jobs -- the people who already call our city home,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said late last month when he announced the report would be forthcoming.

Johnson called the workforce report a “roadmap” for helping its Black and Latino residents learn skills to help them succeed in the growing job market.

The report made four recommendations:

  • Creating a new tool that will point Dallas residents to jobs.
  • Offering more training programs.
  • Working with existing workforce development groups.
  • Appointing someone who will implement the report’s recommendations.

Johnson said workforce development is key to fostering a diverse economy.

“Workforce development is one of the most important and least discussed issues of our time. We are going to start talking a lot more about it here,” he said.

Funds from the will be used to carry out the new programs.

Got a tip? Alejandra Martinez is a corps member for ĻӰԺ. Email Alejandra at amartinez@kera.org. You can follow Alejandra on Twitter

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Alejandra Martinez is a reporter for ĻӰԺ and The Texas Newsroom through Report for America (RFA). She's covering the impact of COVID-19 on underserved communities and the city of Dallas.