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Governor Paterson creates a task force to improve diversity in the State's workforce

Governor Paterson creates a task force to improve diversity in the State's workforce
Source: Office of the Governor

A study by the New York Department of Civil Service reports that there is a discrepancy between state workforce and statewide labor force with respect to representation of Hispanics and persons with disabilities. Employment of Hispanics and persons with disabilities was found to be three times greater in New York?s overall workforce when compared with State?s, as an employer, workforce.

In response to this Governor David A. Paterson has created a taskforce to develop a strategy for revitalizing New York State?s effort to diversify its workforce and ensure a fair share of State contracts go to businesses owned by minorities and women.

The Department also studied the representation of women and minorities in the State workforce by comparing each group as a proportion of the State workforce in 1998 to 2008.
The report found that some groups are underrepresented in the State workforce, including Hispanics, who make up 4.4 percent of the State workforce but nearly 13 percent of the overall statewide labor force. Persons with disabilities make up 3.5 percent of State workers but 10.9 percent of all workers.

The report indicates that the proportion of women and African Americans in the State workforce is approximately equal to their proportions in the overall statewide labor force.

The Department of Civil Service's report, ?Diversity in the New York State Government Workforce, A Look at the Last Decade, and the Next,? was prepared pursuant to Governor Paterson?s Executive Order 6, and studied the representation of African Americans, Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, women and persons with disabilities in the State workforce. It also compared the proportion of each group in each of eight general State job categories to their proportion in the overall statewide labor force of all employees in the public and private sectors plus those who are not employed but are available to work.

The report includes a number of recommendations such as centralizing leadership for the State?s diversification efforts, re-energizing State agency diversification programs, and highlighting the rewards of careers with New York State.

The report is posted on the Internet at: http://www.cs.state.ny.us/pio/diversity.pdf

Full post as published by New York Public Personnel Law on April 03, 2009 (boomark / email).