Detroit Workers and Job Seekers Speak: A Qualitative Exploration of Detroit's Workforce and Employment Systems

Background and Purpose: Detroit continues to face stark economic disparities that are rooted in systemic racism and disproportionately affect communities of color. Black, indigenous, and other workers of color earn significantly less than their white counterparts, and racial income and employment gaps persist despite higher education. The city’s poverty rate is higher than that of the region, and its median income is lower. This economic fragmentation not only stifles individuals’ and families’ potential but also the city's overall growth. The causes of these disparities are complex, and it is critically important to listen to the voices of Detroit’s workers and job seekers to identify solutions that can drive meaningful change.

Methods: Thirteen focus groups were conducted in-person and via Zoom with sixty-five Detroit residents about their experiences with the job search process, retaining work in the city, and work-life balance. Participants represented older, younger, formerly incarcerated, housing insecure, and female workers. Workforce development partners from the Employment Equity Learning and Action Collaborative - a collective impact roundtable composed of over seventy organizations focused on workforce equity in Detroit - reviewed the interview protocol and assisted with participant recruitment. Focus groups recordings were transcribed using Otter.ai and cleaned of errors, and they were coded thematically using a phenomenological approach. Findings were then organized into a worker-centered agenda and actionable recommendations for employers, workforce development agencies, policymakers, and workers themselves.

Results: Participants expressed desires for career paths that offer personal and professional fulfillment and allow them to have social impact on their neighborhoods. They emphasized the importance of mental health and work-life balance, and they highlighted the role of employers in providing fair and just compensation, implementing equitable workplace policies like skills-based hiring, addressing discrimination, encouraging the use of leave time, offering opportunities for skill development, creating a positive workplace culture, and supporting worker safety and wellbeing.

Distinct challenges were highlighted for workers who were younger - including educational disruptions due to COVID-19 -, older - including misalignment between their skills and job market demands -, women - including caretaking responsibilities -, and formerly incarcerated - including lack of reentry support. Participants also described mixed experiences with workforce development agencies and offered actionable change ideas, such as intentional and tailored career development, improved information and resource sharing within community settings and between social service agencies, and modification of policies to allow workers more time to match to good jobs that align with their skills, interests, and needs.

Conclusions and Implications: This study highlights not only the barriers Detroit workers and job seekers face but also their personal aspirations and ideas for change. It emphasizes the importance of systemic reforms tailored to the unique experiences of Detroiters and presents recommendations for policies in the areas of workforce development, childcare, education, and the criminal legal system that are informed by the lived experiences of Detroit's workforce. These worker-driven solutions are an essential component to fostering an inclusive and thriving employment landscape for all residents of the city, especially those most affected by systemic inequities.