Workplace Equality for TGI People

Income inequality

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

In the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) 2015 national survey of transgender individuals, the unemployment rate was 15%, three times that of the national rate. Additionally, Britt Co., in a report titled “What the Wage Gap Looks Like for Transgender and Gender Non-Binary People,” found that 30% of respondents claimed that their identity as trans or outside the gender binary affected their experience in the workplace, including refusal of promotions, harassment, and firing. In an updated survey from 2022, more than 1 in 10 (11%) of respondents to the 2022 United States Trans Survey said they had been fired, forced to resign, lost the job, or laid off because of their gender identity or expression. In fact, more than 80% of adult respondents to the 2022 US Trans Survey who were out or perceived as transgender in K-12 experienced one or more forms of mistreatment or negative experience, including bullying, misgendering, and other forms of harassment (2022 US Trans Survey).

This grant would be applied to our career services program which provides one-on-one support through a planned activities program to support and empower TGI people entering or reentering the workforce. We begin with one-on-one support to assess job readiness, outline goals and career objectives, make referrals and warm hand-offs to educational or training programs, and provide resume review and cover letter support. While we work with our clients individually to help them overcome the obstacles that prevent them from finding stable and safe employment, we also provide programming in the form of workshops that help prepare them to build a career. For example, last year we hosted our first annual Workforce Revolution Summit which included numerous topical workshops on issues such as dressing for the workplace, and knowing your rights in the workplace. We’ve also conducted resume and cover letter workshops, information sessions about specific jobs and sectors, as well as held info sessions for internship or apprenticeship programs. For a select group of our job seekers, they often return to us after having a negative experience with an employer, we utilize their return as a chance to help identify the issues that came up, how they can better prepare themselves to engage in the workspace, and identify any soft or hard skills that need to be worked on with an eye towards making the next job hopefully stick.

Transcanwork envisions a world where the barriers to employment for transgender individuals are dismantled, and where they can pursue fulfilling careers free from discrimination and prejudice. If successful, this means not only will our community be changed and empowered, but Los Angeles County and the State of California will be a more diverse, stable, and empowering economic leader. It will mean we have figured out successful ways to work with and empower marginalized and historically disenfranchised and disinvested community members and transform them into significant parts of and leaders in the workplace. Additionally, our work’s success would mean that there are more safe and equitable workplaces that can approach conflict and harm without disposing of workers.

As an organization we take a holistic approach to measure progress by our job seekers and in addition focus on end results for our reports and funders. In 2021 we experienced significant staff turnover and the economic recession impacting our placement rates, however, we were able to place 5 high barrier clients into employment. “High barrier” being defined as experiencing chronic homelessness and another diagnosis. In 2022, we were able to successfully implement an expansion into San Diego as well as upgrade our internal operations and job seeker tracking system helping us receive 597 requests for services, referring 213 to training programs, and placing 29 job seekers directly into employment. Most recently in 2023, due to our innovative idea being an annual conference titled the Workforce Revolution Summit, we received requests from 1,483 people, enrolled 86 of those into our direct program, assisted 24 in completing training programs and placed 60 directly into employment.