Racial disparities in employment over the life course
Wonjeong Jeong

This paper takes a close look at the employment patterns of black and white male workers throughout their career. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort allow me to track detailed employment patterns from the early to late career. I show that black men have less stable employment patterns compared to their white counterparts, and black-white gaps in stability appear to more pronounced among college graduates. As their careers advance, black workers also have longer non-working statuses and build less full-time work experiences. The racial gap in full-time experiences was similar across the educational levels. These results provide a descriptive picture of how racial gap in employment materializes over men’s career, and the role of education in shaping this pattern.