The origins of Labor Day, observed on the first Monday of September, are rooted in the 19th century, when labor activists pushed the federal government to recognize the contributions of U.S. workers.
Often overlooked on this day, however, are the people who are looking for work. Given the San Antonio area’s low unemployment rate, which is hovering just above 4%, that’s not a lot of people.
In Bexar County this year, according to state employment data, an average of just under 40,000 people per month were considered “actively looking for work.” Within the entire San Antonio metropolitan area, which includes the seven counties surrounding Bexar, the total jumps to almost 55,000 people.
But in a metro area with a workforce of almost 1.3 million people, that’s still a pretty small pool of individuals. Who are they? What kind of work are they looking for? Are they, as some employers suggest, “unemployable”?
Data offers a broad overview, while interviews with individual job seekers paints a more personal picture — and offers a window into the difficulty of matching employers’ and job hunters’ needs when demand for certain jobs is high but the pool of applicants is low.
“Are they unemployable? No, I wouldn’t say that,” said Adrian Lopez, CEO of Workforce Solutions Alamo (WSA), the local arm of the state agency that oversees workforce development. “I would characterize some of them as, perhaps, harder to employ.”
For example, younger workers with college degrees are statistically more likely to get hired quickly after they enter the workforce. For older workers with less education, those with disabilities or other barriers, it can take more time.
That’s a big chunk of the population targeted by Ready to Work, the city’s sprawling workforce development program, which now counts more than 4,000 people enrolled in training.
Employers are keenly aware of the current skills mismatch, said Romanita Matta-Barrera of SA WORX, which works with employers to develop finely tuned employment strategies specific to their industry sector. “There’s a lot of creativity happening between the private sector and organizations like Ready to Work, WSA and VIA [Metropolitan Transit] to reduce those barriers,” she said.
A recent job expo held at the Alamo Convocation Center, which drew dozens of employers and almost 200 job seekers, included college students looking for part-time work, older workers and young people with disabilities. Some were open to anything. Others said they weren’t interested in manual labor, or couldn’t afford to enroll in unpaid training to learn new skills.
A demographic snapshot
In Bexar County in April, more than three-quarters of those looking for work were between the ages of 24 and 54. That age group, considered the prime age labor force, makes up the largest numerical chunk of those working and seeking to work.
Just under 16% were older would-be workers, 55 to 64.
Black job seekers represented 35% of job hunters, almost four times their percentage of the total population in Bexar County of 9%. White residents made up just over 56% of the unemployed. Ethnicity was roughly evenly divided between “Hispanic or Latino” and “not Hispanic or Latino.”
Labor force participation rates offer a slightly wider window into who may be available to work, said Lopez, because the data captures people who have stopped seeking employment but still want to work.
Employment data cascades from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to the state-level Texas Workforce Commission to WSA. Participation rates are estimated based on a monthly household survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Bexar County’s overall labor participation rate was almost 66%, based on data from the Census’ 2021 American Community Survey. That’s a few points higher than the U.S. rate.
The participation rate for ages 25 through 54, however, was much higher, averaging above 81%. Similarly, 83% of those with a bachelor’s degree are already working. Those high rates mean unemployed people in those categories are likely to be hired more quickly.
Only 58% of workers 60 to 64 are working, as are just 65% of those who didn’t complete high school. A slightly higher share of people — 73% — with a high school diploma or the equivalent are working. These groups can yield available workers, Lopez said, but they also tend to remain unemployed for longer periods of time.
A more personal look
Adriana Martinez has been out of work for six months. At age 49, she’s spent 18 years working in customer service. She has a high school diploma. In addition to visiting job fairs, Martinez said she looks for work on Craigslist and Indeed.
She said employers don’t want to pay for her experience. “I get these emails that say, ‘we’re interested in hiring you,’ but when I see the pay, I delete them.”
Martinez said she’s open to another line of work. She went through the assessment process for Ready to Work, the city’s $200 million taxpayer-funded workforce development program, but didn’t end up enrolling. “I need a job that’s going to pay me right away,” she said.
Rosalind Houston said she’s trying to get out of the food industry. She’s spent more than two decades in both restaurants and food manufacturing. Because she qualifies for unemployment, she must track her efforts to find work.
Houston, who is 60 and Black, also uses Indeed, but characterized some of the emails she gets as “scammy.” She said she’s applied for more than 100 jobs, but is not hopeful for her prospects.
“They’re all not paying what I’m looking for,” she said. “I’d like to not need two jobs” to make ends meet.
Enrique Tucker and Carlos Rameriz aren’t actively looking for jobs just yet, but they’re practicing. The young men are part of Project Search, a one-year internship for students with intellectual and other disabilities that prepares students to find work in a today’s competitive environment. A national program, it is hosted locally by a coalition of organizations and based at Christus Children’s Hospital.
The most recent cohort came to the job expo, said instructor Mary Garcia, to practice asking questions of employers and understanding which jobs require what skills.
Tucker’s interest was piqued by StandardAero, which is hiring airplane engine mechanics; Rameriz thought building pedals for Toyota vehicles sounded pretty good.
Lolita Vargas is an immigrant. Married to a U.S. citizen, she has her green card. She said she was a doctor in Mexico. Today, she’s practicing her English and investigating what type of certification she will need to work in health care at the Margarita Huantes Learning Center.
“I have many opportunities,” she said, “but I need to earn a certificate, and I prefer to speak more English.”
