Racial Differentials in Younger Male Occupational Mobility Over the Business Cycle, 1966-1975.

This paper examines the effects of cyclical economic fluctuations on the occupational mobility of younger black and white male workers during the years between 1966 and 1975. Two measures of occupational standing were applied to 805 men who in 1966 were between the ages of 14 and 24 years. Their occupational position for the 10-year period was compared with economic upturns and recessions to ascertain racial differences in occupational gain. The analysis showed that younger black men were more likely to be at the bottom of the occupational categories than were younger white men. In all categories blacks held lower status positions than did whites. Both blacks and whites moved up the occupational hierarchy as groups, but when whites began in the same categories as blacks, they improved their occupational status more than blacks did over the 10 years. During the economic downturn of the 1970s, black craft workers suffered large losses in occupational status relative to white craft workers. (VM)