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nonprofessionals to a slightly greater extent than all

employees, (Chart 1, p. 13; and Table 1, p. 242).3/

Overall, blacks comprise 26 percent of the Department's workforce. However, blacks make up less than 10 percent of all supergrades and senior staff or supervisory positions but fill 50 percent of the lower grade secretarial, techni– cal, and clerical jobs. The average salary of blacks,

$9,928, is 38 percent below the average for all employees.4/ (Chart 1, p. 13;

The status of black women is even worse.

and Table 1, p. 242).

The nonblack minorities, who comprise 3.3 percent of the Department's workforce are found in the lower grade positions to a somewhat greater extent than all employees. The average salary of the nonblack minorities, $12,705, is 7 percent below the average for all employees. (Tables 1 and 2, p. 252).

3/ There are four series of statistical tables in this report, each of which is numbered separately. Therefore, it is necessary to have the table, and page number to locate a particular table. The same table number may refer to up to four different tables.

4/See p. 220, part a, in the statistical appendix for

a discussion of why salary is used instead of average grade in this report.

The position of the 46 percent of the Department's

female employees is roughly equivalent to that of blacks. Women comprise only 6 percent of all supergrades, and 12 percent of senior staff or supervisory positions, but they constitute an awesome 85 percent of the lower grade secretarial, clerical and technical positions. salary of women is 39 percent below the average for all

employees.

The average

(Chart 1, p. 13; and Table 1, p. 242).

It should be noted at this point that the status of blacks and of women are closely interrelated as 71 percent of all blacks are women and 40 percent of all women are black. As a result, blacks suffer disproportionately from sex underutilization while women are affected disproportionately by racial underutilization. (Table 1, p. 252).

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This

The adequacy of minority and female employment in DOL, discussed in the preceding section, can be evaluated more rigorously through an examination of underutilization. analysis of the status of minorities and women focuses on two factors: the percent the group comprises of all professionals, and the distribution of that group within the

professional classification. First, if the racial-sexual

group meets the criteria established in the "Goals and Timetables" section for their representation,

5/

this will

be termed as "equitable representation." These criteria are that blacks, nonblack minorities and women should comprise 12 percent, 8 percent, and 31 percent, respectively, of the professional workforce. Second, if the group is distributed within the professional classification as all employees are, this will be called "equitable distribution." Both the representation and distribution criteria apply to each National Office and Field unit of every administration. Having an equitable representation and distribution in each of these units will be defined as reaching parity.

The examination of the underutilization of blacks, nonblack minorities, and women will be conducted first on a Department-wide basis and, next, by administration and region. The Department-wide analysis which is broken down by National Office and Field provides the general pattern of minority and female underutilization.

However, the

5/Page 182.

6/

The professional-nonprofessional classification method used in this report is that of the Department's personnel system.

actual amount of underutilization is generally more severe than that shown Department-wide since the goals for minority and female employment apply to each National Office and Field unit of every administration. The Department may meet a goal at the Department-wide level, but may fail to meet that same goal in a particular administration. criteria for minority and female employment used in this report do not allow for an administration with an equi table employment situation to compensate for the failings of

another administration.

The

The section discussing underutili

zation in each administration supplies the full picture of underutilization in the Department. The extent of underutilization in each administration will be shown by a "use

index."

In addition, the section on the underutilization of blacks presents a historical perspective of their employ

ment status. The data were not available to conduct this

type of analysis for nonblack minorities or women.

a. Status of blacks

Department-wide

The proportion which blacks comprise of the Department's

professional workforce, 14 percent, meets the minimum cri

teria that we established for their representation on a Nationwide basis. Black males constitute 8 percent and

black females 6 percent of all professionals.

p. 252).

(Table 1,

The basis on which blacks are underutilized in the

Department, Nationwide, is in terms of their distribution within the professional classification.

Examining the

proportion of professional employees who are black at each grade discloses that they make up a very large segment of the grades GS 5, 7, 9, and 11--45 percent, 20 percent, 26 percent, and 17 percent, respectively in each grade. On the other hand, blacks comprise at most 10 percent, but generally less than this proportion of the employees in each grade above GS-11 (with the exception of GS-18 where

two of the eight employees at this level are black).1/

This same pattern prevails among black men and women. For example, black males account for 5 percent of all male GS-16's and GS-17's. (Chart 2, p. 19 ).

1/The ADP records for GS-18 are not correct.

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