New Report: Building a More Inclusive Bay Area Economy

Through diversity and inclusion efforts, businesses can reap tremendous benefits while providing opportunities for young men of color and others disadvantaged by our economic system, according to a study the Bay Area Council Economic Institute released Tuesday (April 30) at The Silicon Valley Organization in San Jose.

The report—Building An Inclusive Economy: The Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Partnership—shares learnings from the Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Partnership (BAYEP). The BAYEP project is a partnership of the Bay Area Council with groups LeadersUp, PolicyLink and Urban Strategies Council. Through a series of career fairs, BAYEP connected hundreds of young people to job opportunities with Bay Area employers and provided career readiness training to thousands more. BAYEP’s broad goal was to serve a population that has been systematically excluded from the prosperity generated by the tremendous economic growth in the Bay Area over the past several decades. Annabel Chang, Vice President, Bay Area for Council member Alaska Airlines helped present the report findings and recommendations and led a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders in inclusive economy efforts.