An Analysis of Unemployment

Baltimore, Maryland used to be home to the one-time largest steel mill in the world— the Bethlehem Steel Mill. The city flourished greatly from the 19th century in ship building, textiles and flour industries, and the military capacity during the revolutionary war. The boisterous city attracted many European and rural immigrants as well as freed black slaves, all looking for economic opportunities. Structural and recessionary unemployment affected people and communities that relied heavily on the operations of the steel factory, and Bethlehem steel went from employing 30,000 at its peak in the 1950s (Murthy and Weber) to ending its operations in 2012.

Directions: Use the layer list in the bottom right corner of the map extent to select a layer to display.

Unemployment Rate: The unemployment rate measures the number of people that are able and willing to work, but who have not found job.  It measures the “officially” unemployed and does not take into account discouraged job seekers. Knowing this provides gainful understanding of what the “truly” unemployed numbers will look like, which in reality is far more than the “officially” unemployed. This indicator is imperative for gauging the direction of the economy, diagnosing unemployment and proffering solutions. It is a useful indicator which sums the essence of this analysis.

Analysis

Unemployment is most prominent around Druid Hill Park, Walbrook, Mr Royal, Fulton, Mt. Clare, Kenilworth Park, and all areas that are shown in light and dark brown colours. The areas less hit by unemployment are the areas that run slightly vertically in the middle of Baltimore, MD. These areas are cream and green in colour. Unemployment levels can be attributed to particular cases. For example, the structural changes and international division of labour in production which saw the moving away from manufacturing such as steel in Baltimore, to other skilled jobs and other countries of higher competition, resulted in the loss of jobs in Sparrows Point and Turner Station community— a predominantly black community. Perhaps the large unemployment that is observed in present day can be attributed to the long-term unemployment caused by this change.

Race and Ethnicity Predominance: This indicator shows various races and ethnicities and how they are affected by employment and the other indicators used in the analysis. A close look at the comparisons between races/ethnicities to other indicators can give us a better understanding of why they may be in the predicament of structural and long-term unemployment.

Analysis

Looking at this indicator, we notice that the major races are white and black, and we are able to see the areas that each race covers. Areas colour-coded in dusty pink are predominantly white. Those in yellow colour are predominantly black or African American, while areas that are blue are mostly occupied by Hispanics. A close comparison between this indicator with the previous one (unemployment rate), we can easily deduce that black neighbourhoods are more affected by unemployment than their white counterparts.

Median Home Value: This measures the average worthiness of homes in Baltimore, MD. It is a useful indicator that will give us insight into the comparisons between ethnicities, their employment status and the values of their homes.

Analysis

The darker blue colours applicable to areas like Lake Roland Park have some of the highest home values at $695,000 while those that are lighter such as Druid Hill Park have some of the lowest home values at approximately $92,000. Also looking at this indicator, we notice the sharp vertical dividing line at the middle of the map, showing contrasting home values between neighbouring communities with higher and lower white populations. When we compare this indicator to the previous one (race and ethnicities prevalence rate), we can easily deduce that predominantly black neighbourhoods have median home values that are far lesser than those of their white counterparts. A possible explanation for this might be low-quality housing, and other factors attributable to a history of redlining, neglect and discriminatory housing practices against the black population.

Asthma Prevalence: This indicator measures the generality of asthma and is important to our analysis because the condition of people’s health is related to unemployment levels. It can help us understand the effect of health in determining employability, acquisition of skills needed for employment, and the potential of acquiring and maintaining wealth among various populations of people.

Analysis

A close look at the asthma prevalence rate shows that the darker the blue colour, the higher the prevalence of asthma. The prevalence in these dark areas is above 11%. In areas that are lighter, the asthma prevalence ranges below 9%. It is interesting to note that areas in some immediate neighbouring communities have a striking difference in the asthma prevalence rate. For example, between the left side and right side of Govan town, we see an approximately 3% difference between the asthma prevalence rates. When we compare the neighbourhoods that are mostly affected by asthma to unemployment, we can see that these areas are also predominantly black, and a poorer quality of health can translate to a reduced ability to find and keep a job.

Population Age 25+ College Degree: This indicator takes into consideration the percentage of young people with a college degree. It is an important indicator because present-day labour market particularly in OECD countries has shifted from low-skilled to high-skilled jobs. Furthermore, a decline in activity rates for men in OECD countries, which includes the United States, has been most rapid for men with fewer educational qualifications including new, young labour force entrants. This indicator helps us see the correlation between a college degree and employment levels.

Analysis

We notice from the map that areas that are predominantly black dominated have lesser percentages of households that have acquired a college degree. These areas are indicated by lighter colours. The darker the blue colour, the more percentages of households have acquired a college degree. These areas are predominantly white neighbourhoods. According to the “Geography of Worklessness”, high local unemployment can lead to social problems such as the reluctance to aspire for educational attainments for young people. When individuals consistently witness the difficulties of people in their households or communities to secure jobs, they become discouraged to pursue education. This might shed light on the relationship between marginalised communities, like the black neighbourhoods in our map, and the level of educational attainment, and subsequently, unemployment levels.

Asthma Prevalence Hot Spots: This indicator shows areas that have the highest levels of asthma.

Analysis

We see clustering of high asthma levels in areas that are coloured in red. Again, the Druid Hill Park, Mt Claire, Walbrook, Mt. Royal, Fulton, Mt. Clare, and Kenilworth Park areas are some of the most affected having 90%-99% confidence rates. These asthma hotspot areas may correlate with the quality of housing in those areas, and perhaps areas a history of redlining in those areas.

Outliers in the Percentage of the Population that is White: This indicator points to areas where the density of white population is surrounded by areas that have low populations of white people. This indicator is an important aspect of our analysis because it can help us understand how populations with high and low white percentages are affected by unemployment.

Analysis

From the map, we observe the high-low outliers which show high population white dominated areas surrounded by areas that have low white populations. These outliers are red colour-coded. They raise questions about why the unemployment rate between neighbourhoods that are within close proximity of each other are affected differently. For example, the Druid Hill Park community has an average unemployment rate of 11% whereas bordering outlier neighbourhoods have an average unemployment rate of 2% and 4%.

Recession Level Unemployment (Greater than 10%):  This layer measures the extent of unemployment above 10%, and is a useful indicator in comparing the hardest hit populations of Baltimore, MD.

Analysis

Recession Level Unemployment (Greater than 10%): Neighbourhoods with recessionary level unemployment higher than 10% are indicated by brown colours. Examples are Kenilworth Park, Fulton and Druid Park. The recessionary unemployment levels in these areas can help us understand the relationship between long-term unemployment and the difficulty in breaking out of poverty for the affected population.

Summarily, different demographics of people are affected differently by unemployment. From all the indicators used in the analysis, it is obvious that populations that are predominantly black, are the most negatively hit. Some of the social disadvantages of unemployment and its prolongation are the destabilisation in the structure of the home, discouragement in the continued search for jobs and the pursuit of education, erosion of skills, and the creation of poverty which often stretches to a cycle of poverty.

The government will need to intervene to bridge the gap between the private sector and employment, to directly train and employ people that are most affected. More government spending should be geared towards improving people’s chances at employment. An example would be to greatly improve the quality of public schools in affected communities.