Improved Hiring, Retention, and Employee Advancement Practices

Data and Targets

Data and Targets

The Problem

Across the state, there are major gaps between community members of color and their white counterparts when it comes to education, training, hiring, and promotion, according to the 2020 Colorado Equity Talent Agenda. These gaps have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Black and Latinx workers—and particularly women—have experienced the steepest job losses while simultaneously facing the most barriers to regaining work… Across cities and counties, Black, Latinx, and Native American workers are far less likely than their White counterparts to earn the bare minimum dignified wage of $15/hour.”

Source: “10 Priorities for Advancing Racial Equity Through the American Rescue Plan,” Policy Link

It is clear that meaningful employment became disproportionately more difficult to find for marginalized populations in the wake of COVID-19. However, the economy at large has also been weakened by the resultant labor shortage. Local and national research indicates that increasing equitable hiring and retention practices is actually one of the most effective strategies we have for confronting the current shortage.

Our Targets

Collective Global Target: The Partnership has adopted a collective target that by 2025, 50% (est. n= 193,000) of adults in Adams and Broomfield Counties will earn a post-high school certificate, credential or degree. (That is an increase of an estimated 45,800 people). This includes eliminating equity gaps between all racial and ethnic groups. The Improving Hiring, Retention, and Employee Advancement Practices strategy emphasizes the implementation of upskilling/reskilling opportunities among local organizations to attract and retain a more diverse workforce. For many, these trainings, offered through work, can serve as a valuable first step toward or even result in the acquisition of a much needed credential. Endeavoring to strengthen talent pipelines in this way makes this strategy an integral part of achieving the 50% credential attainment target of the partnership.

Specific Goals and Targets for this Strategy: The Partnership is in the process of launching an Improved Hiring, Retention, and Advancement Practices initiative which organizations can elect to participate in at any time. Organizations who choose to participate will work collaboratively to move through the many phases of bettering their equitable hiring, retention, and advancement practices with the ultimate goal of creating an inclusive workplace culture representative of their communities. Once the effort launches the member organizations will set targets for their progress along this pathway. As targets are developed they will be updated here.

Improving Hiring, Retention, and Advancement Practices Data Dashboard

Partners utilize both quantitative and qualitative (community voice and perspective) data to inform, drive, and evaluate the progress and impact of this collective strategy.

A dedicated data dashboard is being developed to support this and will include the following:

  • Demographics: A general overview of the RMP region. This includes data around general population size and demographic breakdowns as well as qualities of home life such as people per household and languages spoken.
  • The Current State: Provides a snapshot of what employment for community members looks like and the health of the labor force as a whole in our region. It can quickly answer questions regarding which populations are experiencing the greatest disparities when it comes to hiring and moving along the pathway to a stable position in a top job.
  • Baselines and Targets: Trend-over-time data that tells us if organizational hiring, retention, and advancement practices are improving over time. These baselines are disaggregated by geography, race/ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status, disability status, and other demographic characteristics in order to clearly understand equity gaps. These baselines will help illuminate the current state of top job openings in the region, how employers hire, and the demographic makeup of the workforce.
  • Story Behind the Numbers: The human side of the data story. This section puts faces and stories to the data so users can see and feel the impact of the systems as they currently exist.
  • Factors and Barriers: Partners work to identify barriers the target populations are facing on their journey to sustainable employment in a position that can support themselves and their families so that they can take action to address them.
  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Real-time measurements used by partners to evaluate the progress and impact of this collective strategy towards shared goals and targets
  • Ultimate Impact: When these measures are trending in the “right” direction, they correlate with improved economic and social mobility. Ideally, if the three metrics listed in the bottom row (credential and skill attainment, self sufficient wages, and employment) are improving then poverty rates will decrease indicating that economic vitality is being achieved.

Join the Improving Hiring, Retention, and Advancement Effort

For more information on the Partnership’s collective work around Hiring, Retention, and Advancement contact Kayah Swanson, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy, at KayahSwanson@RMPBackbone.org