Home Depot’s free Path to Pro Skills Program offers online training in construction and other trades to help address the labor shortage and boost diversity. Since 2021, more than 60,000 people have graduated and over 100,000 have participated.
Tag: Bureau of Labor Statistics
From 9-to-5 to business owner: Two women share their path to entrepreneurship
After years of working traditional jobs, Tiffany Veney and Leslie Frelow took a leap of faith to launch their own businesses. Now, they’re carving out space in industries where Black women are often underrepresented—construction and wine.
DC unemployment rate is the highest in the US for the third straight month
Washington, D.C.’s unemployment rate climbed to 6 percent in July — the highest in the nation for the third consecutive month — fueled by mass federal worker layoffs under President Trump’s workforce cuts and a sharp decline in international tourism. Economists warn the trend could worsen racial disparities in employment and strain the city’s economy.
Reactions mixed after D.C. Council votes to pause tipped worker minimum wage
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the City Council have paused a scheduled minimum wage increase for tipped workers under Initiative 82, citing concerns about economic strain on local businesses and the city’s reliance on federal funding. While business advocates argue the law accelerates restaurant closures, many tipped workers and supporters believe the voter-approved measure is essential for fair compensation and should be upheld.
Fostering future innovators: Experts highlight pathways to STEM success
Leaders, teachers, and parents can prepare the next generation to meet the rising demand for STEM professionals by introducing youth to science, technology, engineering, and math, and providing them with opportunities to engage in project-based learning and career technical education.
HUD and The Appraisal Foundation forge historic deal to tackle racial inequity in real estate appraisal
HUD has announced an historic conciliation agreement with The Appraisal Foundation to address systemic racial disparities in the real estate appraisal profession, aiming to dismantle discriminatory barriers and promote greater diversity and equity in the industry.
Is name discrimination in hiring still a trend? Industry leaders say ‘yes’
Black job-seekers are still “whitening” their résumés, but despite this, 60% of Black graduates are underemployed one year after finishing college, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
AFL-CIO report exposes deepening racial disparities in workplace safety
The AFL-CIO has released its 33rd annual report, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” which highlights troubling racial disparities in workplace safety, with Black workers experiencing the highest rates of job fatality and Latino workers the most vulnerable.
Advocates call for better wages and data collection for workers in care industry
Caring Across Maryland, a coalition of advocates, workers and patients in nursing homes, assisted living and home care, rallied in Annapolis to support key legislation that would enhance compensation and data collection across the state’s care landscape.

