BLACK MALES IN NON-STEM AND STEM OCCUPATIONS

Abstract

While many labor market studies have examined wage inequality by race, gender, and class, the research has seldom directly considered labor market outcomes of STEM college graduates within the context of non-STEM and STEM occupations. The current study investigates the determinants of wages among Black males in STEM and non-STEM occupations compared to their White male peers. Through this investigation, it explores the feasibility of broadening Black males' participation in STEM occupations but also how they might earn higher wages and thereby close the wage gap with White male peers. The Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files for the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS) were the primary data source for the current study. Following the convention in labor economics, the author used Mincer's single-equation model to explain variations in earnings as a function of select wage determinants derived from the data. Three main insights emerged from the current study. The findings suggested that opportunities do exist for employers to hire qualified Black males seeking gainful employment in STEM occupations. The findings also indicated that within the Black male group, working in a STEM occupation with a college degree in a STEM field was the best route to attain maximum wages. The third insight from the current study cannot be avoided: the noticeable gaps in wages between White and Black males. Implications of the findings for employers seeking to diversify their STEM workforce and for Black males considering employment or employed in a STEM occupation are discussed.