Demographic Profile
In order to continue the area’s prosperity and economic vitality,
the current labor shortage in Travis County must be addressed. An opportunity
exists for employers to seek out workers in Travis County who have been
historically underutilized. The following is a brief demographic profile
of the underutilized workforce in Travis County.
What groups are not sharing in economic prosperity?
Within Austin/Travis County, they are primarily:
- Living in poverty (12.9% of Austin/Travis County population are at
poverty level or below, an estimated 87,177 people)
- School dropouts (AISD has highest dropout rates in Austin/Travis County
and rates are higher for minority students; 18% of all adults over age
of 25 did not graduate from high school in Austin/Travis County)
- Hispanic or African-American (these minorities have unemployment rates
at least twice as high as Anglo counterparts; 83% of TANF recipients
are minorities)
- Public assistance recipients [2,612 TANF households in the month of
February (Welfare-to-Work Coalition, 1999)]
- Single female head of households [96% of TANF recipients (Welfare-to-Work Coalition, 1999)]
- Food stamp recipients [10,214 households in the month of February (Welfare-to-Work Coalition, 1999)]
- Residents of certain geographical areas (concentrations of individuals
with the lowest education levels, highest unemployment, lowest income,
and greatest need for English-as-a-Second-Language can be found in 10
zip codes in Travis County) (CAWDB, 1999)
- Individuals with a disability, substance abuse problem, and/or mental
illness
- Homeless persons
- Immigrants with limited English proficiency
- Veterans
- Ex-offenders
The above summary information was obtained from the Capitol
Area Workforce Development Board’s (CAWDB) Strategic Plan, 1999,
unless otherwise noted. Further details on the numbers and statistics listed
above are available within the CAWDB Plan.
Who are the "underutilized" workers?
Figure 2
Unemployment by Race/Ethnicity in Travis County, July 1998
* Hispanic persons may be of any race.
Note: 1998 figures for Travis
County totals are the average of monthly estimates and are subject to revision.
Figures for Texas and Travis County by race/ethnicity for 1996, 1997, and
1998 are for July of that year.
Source: Texas
Workforce Commission, Labor Market Information Department, with U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 3, 1999.
In order to determine the magnitude of the "working poor"
in Travis County, there are several other useful indicators, besides the
rate of unemployment. One way to look beyond unemployment is to investigate
labor force participation. While 4% of African-American males were classified
as unemployed in July 1998, another 43.8% were not in the workforce at
all. While this 43.8% does include some individuals too young or too old
to work, it also includes a significant number of discouraged workers.
This compares to 26.5% of White males not in the workforce, and 36.9% of
Hispanic males not in the workforce. Among females, the percentage not
in the workforce is even higher: 36.5% White, African-American 43.9%, and
46.2% Hispanic.
Another useful indicator is the number of students who are considered
economically disadvantaged. Students are considered economically disadvantaged
when they qualify for reduced-price or free meals. According to the USDA,
the eligibility criteria for receiving reduced-price meals is an annual
income at 185% of the poverty level, and for free meals, an annual income
at 130% of the poverty level (see Table 3).
Table 3
1999 Federal Poverty Guidelines (48 Contiguous States and
D.C.)
| Size of Family Unit |
Poverty |
130% Poverty |
185% Poverty |
| 2 |
$11,060 |
$14,378 |
$20,461 |
| 3 |
$13,880 |
$18,044 |
$25,678 |
| 4 |
$16,700 |
$21,710 |
$30,895 |
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (1999).
With over 76,000 students, AISD is the largest school district in Travis
County (the second largest is Round Rock, with 27,000 students). Half of
the students who attend Austin Independent School District (AISD) are economically
disadvantaged. The proportion of disadvantaged students is even larger
in some of the county’s rural areas such as Del Valle (66.4%) and
Manor (56.5%). As seen in Figure 3, the school districts with the
largest numbers of economically disadvantaged children also have the highest
percentages of Hispanic and African American students. In contrast, more
prosperous districts have more White students.
Figure 3
Travis County Area
School Districts: Ethnicity by Percentage of Economically Disadvantaged
Children
Source: Texas
Education Agency (1997-98).
Other indicators of economic hardship are the numbers of persons receiving
public assistance. As seen in Figure
4, in February 1999, there were 2,612 TANF recipients in Travis County
(96.4% of them female), 10,214 households receiving Food Stamps (24,503
individuals) and 10,941 Medicaid recipients (Welfare-to-Work,
1999).
