Boston Working to Keep Construction Hiring Local and Diverse

"After years of disappointing results from an ordinance intended to increase the hiring of Boston residents, women, and minorities to construction jobs, the city of Boston is eyeing changes to make it more effective," according to an article by Matt Rocheleau.

The work of requiring a local and diverse cross section of employment opportunities for the construction trades falls to a 37-year-old ordinance called the Boston Residents Jobs Policy. The ordinance, "requires construction companies to demonstrate good faith efforts to guarantee that 50 percent of all hours worked go to Boston residents, 25 percent go to minorities, and 10 percent go to women," according to Rocheleau. The ordinance, however, is having trouble meeting the demands of the current building boom. Progress has stalled in hiring of minorities, and hiring of women and local residents has never hit targets.

Led by Karilyn Crockett, the city's director of economic policy and research, the city is looking for ways to improve the ordinance in a review process that began in 2015. Changes in communications policy have already been implemented, and open data improvements are also planned in an effort to improve results.