{"id":16573,"date":"2025-05-31T07:47:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T11:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/?p=16573"},"modified":"2025-06-05T14:49:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T18:49:14","slug":"2025-workforce-data-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/2025\/05\/31\/2025-workforce-data-report\/","title":{"rendered":"BU Hosts Secretary Jones to Mark Workforce Equity Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"230\" data-end=\"295\"><em data-start=\"230\" data-end=\"295\">May 30, 2025 | Duan Family Center for Computing &amp; Data Sciences<\/em><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MhGN6F1toAI?si=0KfGvPFJ8sA8t1BM\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/h5>\n<p data-start=\"297\" data-end=\"572\">Speakers: Azer Bestavros, BU Associate Provost, Faculty of Computing &amp; Data Sciences; Evelyn Murphy, Former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor and BWWC Co-Chair; Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones; President and CEO of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts Brooke Thomson; Principal Investigator Neha Gondal, BU Associate Professor of Sociology and Computing and Data Sciences<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"297\" data-end=\"572\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/2025-massachusetts-workforce-data-report-dashboard?_gl=1*1e3d3gi*_ga*MzgwOTQyNzY2LjE3NDg2ODY3NjU.*_ga_MCLPEGW7WM*czE3NDg2ODY4MDgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NDg2ODY4MDgkajYwJGwwJGgw#key-learnings-&amp;-full-report-download-\">Access the 2025 Workforce Data Report &amp; Dashboard<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"297\" data-end=\"572\">Boston University proudly welcomed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/person\/lauren-jones-secretary-of-labor-and-workforce-development\">Secretary Lauren Jones<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/orgs\/executive-office-of-labor-and-workforce-development\">Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development<\/a> (EOLWD) to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/explore\/bu-center-for-computing-data-sciences\/\">Duan Family Center for Computing &amp; Data Sciences<\/a> on May 30, marking a milestone event in the ongoing pursuit of workplace equity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"574\" data-end=\"1005\">The occasion\u2014centered around the release of the <a class=\"ma__download-link__file-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/2025-workforce-data-report\/download\">2025 Workforce Data Report <\/a>\u2014celebrated a decade of innovation, partnership, and impact made possible through BU\u2019s long-standing collaboration with the <a href=\"https:\/\/thebwwc.org\">Boston Women\u2019s Workforce Council<\/a> (BWWC and led by Executive Director Kimberly Borman). All event partners addressed the audience, reflecting on the unique public-private partnership driving progress for wage equity across Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1007\" data-end=\"1412\">Since 2014, BU has worked hand-in-hand with the BWWC to build a secure, privacy-preserving data platform that enables employers to share sensitive wage data confidentially. The original effort, led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/profile\/azer-bestavros\/\">Azer Bestavros<\/a>\u2014now Associate Provost for Computing &amp; Data Sciences\u2014responded to a call from the City of Boston for a technical solution to analyze pay equity without exposing individual or corporate data.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1007\" data-end=\"1412\"><span>\u201cA technology we initially developed in support of the Boston Women\u2019s Workforce Cou<\/span>ncil privacy-preserving reports on gender pay equity, expanded greatly for over a decade through NSF and DARPA awards, is the catalyst for what is now the law of the land on pay transparency in Massachusetts,\u201d said Bestavros. \u201cIt\u2019s our privilege to be entrusted with hosting and operating the technology platform for implementing that law &#8212; that&#8217;s what societally relevant convergent research impact looks like!\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1414\" data-end=\"1791\">That initiative laid the groundwork for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mma.org\/gov-signs-wage-equity-bill\/\">Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act<\/a>, signed into law by Governor Maura Healey in 2024, and has supported five influential BWWC reports to date. The platform continues to evolve, with faculty leaders\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/profile\/neha-gondal\/\">Neha Gondal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/profile\/mayank-varia\/\">Mayank Varia<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/profiles\/liagos\/\">John Liagouris<\/a> at the helm, supported by major funding from the National Science Foundation and DARPA.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1414\" data-end=\"1791\">\u201cMassachusetts is home to the world\u2019s best talent. But we need to make sure that everyone is able to\u00a0participate in and succeed in our economy,\u201d said Governor Maura Healey. \u201cThis report shows that we have made important progress to bring more women and people of color into our workforce, but that more work needs to be done to address racial and gender disparities. This data will be an important tool to guide our efforts to provide more workforce development opportunities and partner with employers and labor to support workers and strengthen our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1974\" data-end=\"2319\">The project has become a cornerstone of BU\u2019s commitment to public-interest technology and experiential learning. Students contributing to the platform gain hands-on experience solving real-world problems, from data de-duplication to advanced cryptographic protections, while making meaningful contributions to equity-focused policy work.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1793\" data-end=\"1972\">\u201cThis is the kind of research that not only opens doors\u2014it shapes futures,\u201d said Bestavros. \u201cOur students aren&#8217;t just learning; they&#8217;re helping build the tools that power policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16579\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16579\" style=\"width: 294px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550-496x636.jpg\" alt=\"BU Workforce Data Report Release Evelyn Murphy\" width=\"284\" height=\"364\" class=\"wp-image-16579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550-496x636.jpg 496w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550-798x1024.jpg 798w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550-768x985.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550-1198x1536.jpg 1198w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550-1597x2048.jpg 1597w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_6550.jpg 1816w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16579\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evelyn Murphy, Former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor and Co-Chair of the BWWC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"2321\" data-end=\"2395\">Among the dignitaries and thought leaders participating in the event were:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"2397\" data-end=\"2813\">\n<li data-start=\"2397\" data-end=\"2494\">\n<p data-start=\"2399\" data-end=\"2494\"><strong data-start=\"2399\" data-end=\"2425\">Secretary Lauren Jones<\/strong>, Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2495\" data-end=\"2583\">\n<p data-start=\"2497\" data-end=\"2583\"><strong data-start=\"2497\" data-end=\"2514\">Evelyn Murphy<\/strong>, Former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor and Co-Chair of the BWWC<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2584\" data-end=\"2666\">\n<p data-start=\"2586\" data-end=\"2666\"><strong data-start=\"2586\" data-end=\"2607\">Brooke M. Thomson<\/strong>, President &amp; CEO, Associated Industries of Massachusetts<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2667\" data-end=\"2711\">\n<p data-start=\"2669\" data-end=\"2711\"><strong data-start=\"2669\" data-end=\"2684\">Josh Cutler<\/strong>, Undersecretary of Labor<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2712\" data-end=\"2813\">\n<p data-start=\"2714\" data-end=\"2813\"><strong data-start=\"2735\" data-end=\"2750\">Neha Gondal <\/strong>and <strong data-start=\"2735\" data-end=\"2750\">Mayank Varia<\/strong>, Principal Investigators and Professors at Boston University<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"594\" data-end=\"746\">As leaders shared their reflections on the report and its significance, Secretary Jones emphasized the state\u2019s continued commitment to advancing equity:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"594\" data-end=\"746\">\u201cThis report will help move Massachusetts forward as we tackle gender and racial wage disparities and inequities within the workplace,\u201d said Secretary Jones. \u201cFollowing this report, the Healey-Driscoll Administration will continue to work with stakeholders, including employers, to develop and implement policies that attract and retain skilled, diverse talent right here in Massachusetts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1151\" data-end=\"1292\">Evelyn Murphy highlighted Massachusetts\u2019 unique approach to data-driven equity and the role of public policy in shaping economic opportunity:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1151\" data-end=\"1292\">\u201cWe live in a time when big data can enhance decision-making in the public sector. Massachusetts is the only state collecting EEO filings by employers\u2014securing and aggregating individual filings\u2014for economic progress not employer punishment,\u201d said Murphy, Co-Chair of the Boston Women\u2019s Workforce Council. \u201cThe Healey-Driscoll Administration deserves enormous credit for embracing workplace equity as a significant contributor to the Massachusetts economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2815\" data-end=\"3034\"><a class=\"ma__download-link__file-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/2025-workforce-data-report\/download\">Download the 2025 Workforce Data Report <\/a><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2815\" data-end=\"3034\">Key Learnings &amp; Findings<\/h3>\n<p><span>At the report release event, Neha Gondal\u2014principal investigator and associate professor of Sociology and Computing &amp; Data Sciences\u2014highlighted several key findings, including:<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/racial-ethnic-by-organizational-size_0.png\" alt=\"2025 Workforce Data Report\" width=\"450\" height=\"360\" class=\" wp-image-16577 alignright\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/racial-ethnic-by-organizational-size_0.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/racial-ethnic-by-organizational-size_0-636x509.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/racial-ethnic-by-organizational-size_0-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2025\/05\/racial-ethnic-by-organizational-size_0-300x240.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Greater Diversity in the Largest Employers:\u00a0<\/strong>Companies with 2,500 or more employees demonstrate higher levels of racial and gender diversity\u2014possibly due to more robust HR infrastructure and diversity strategies. <em>See &#8220;Racial-Ethnic Distribution of EEO-1 Workforce by Organizational Size.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>Gender Balance in Private Sector:<\/strong> Women make up 54% of the workforce in reporting private-sector companies, with higher representation in healthcare, education, and administrative support roles.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Persistent Occupational Disparities:<\/strong>\u00a0Black and Hispanic workers remain overrepresented in lower-wage roles, such as service work, laborers, and administrative, and underrepresented in executive and managerial positions. Senior executive roles remain disproportionately held by white men.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gender Gaps in Male-Dominated Industries<\/strong>: Women remain significantly underrepresented in traditionally male-dominated fields such as construction, mining, and utilities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shifting Demographics in Public Education:\u00a0<\/strong>New hires in public schools show modest gains in racial diversity. However, school leadership positions lack racial diversity, with 62% of principal roles held by white employees.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public Education Workforce is Predominantly Female:<\/strong> Women comprise 77% of the public education workforce, and more than 74% of new hires, reflecting long-standing gender imbalances in the field.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Progress in Finance and Professional Services:<\/strong> These sectors show more balanced gender representation than traditionally expected, indicating positive movement toward workplace representation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Asian Workers Often Concentrated in Professional Fields:\u00a0<\/strong>Asian employees have relatively high representation in professional roles, especially in healthcare, tech, and information and scientific sectors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Quick Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/2025-massachusetts-workforce-data-report-dashboard?_gl=1*1e3d3gi*_ga*MzgwOTQyNzY2LjE3NDg2ODY3NjU.*_ga_MCLPEGW7WM*czE3NDg2ODY4MDgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NDg2ODY4MDgkajYwJGwwJGgw#key-learnings-&amp;-full-report-download-\">Access the 2025 Workforce Data Report &amp; Dashboard<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ma__download-link__file-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/2025-workforce-data-report\/download\">Download the 2025 Workforce Data Report<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/2025-massachusetts-workforce-data-report-dashboard#key-learnings-&amp;-full-report-download-\">Access Key Learnings <\/a>or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/2025-workforce-data-report\/download\">download the full, ADA-compliant PDF report<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/2025-massachusetts-workforce-data-report-dashboard#massachusetts-workforce-data-interactive-dashboard-\">Explore the data using an interactive dashboard<\/a>, including by NAICS industry, by job category, and by county<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/2025-massachusetts-workforce-data-report-dashboard#reference-&amp;-data-download-\">Download the anonymized, aggregated data<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/articles\/2016\/gender-pay-equity\/\">Calculating Gender Pay Equity: Computer Scientists Remove a Major Obstacle in Push for Wage Parity<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/articles\/2015\/computational-thinking-breaks-a-logjam\/\">Computational Thinking Breaks a Logjam<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/articles\/2017\/tackling-wage-gap-with-code\/\">Tackling the Wage Gap with Code<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boston University and Secretary Lauren Jones marked the release of the 2025 Workforce Data Report, celebrating a decade of impact through BU\u2019s partnership with the Boston Women\u2019s Workforce Council and leadership in wage equity and secure data science.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18026,"featured_media":16591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[244,1],"tags":[27,799,798,800,53,498,299,797,795,796],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16573"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18026"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16573"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16661,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16573\/revisions\/16661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}