Council committee reviews Boston Residents Jobs Policy as dashboard shows low Boston‑resident and women participation

The Boston City Council’s Committee on Labor and Economic Development convened virtually on April 13 to review the Boston Residents Jobs Policy (BRJP), the city’s workforce participation goals for construction projects, and a new compliance dashboard the administration says will make contractor performance more transparent.

Chair Brian Worrell (District 4) opened the hearing by saying the BRJP aims for 51% of work hours to go to Boston residents, 40% to people of color and 12% to women. He and several councilors said the city is falling short, particularly for women and Boston residents, and stressed that access to ‘‘quality jobs’’ means living wages, career advancement and safety.

Why it matters: The committee heard administration officials and community advocates agree that disaggregated, accessible data is essential to direct training, outreach and procurement choices so that BRJP goals translate into sustained jobs for Boston residents, not one‑off hours on a project.

Action for Equity’s jobs co‑director Wheezy Walstein told the committee BRJP can mask job quality differences and urged the office to split data by union vs. nonunion contractors, trade and contractor type so policymakers can distinguish high‑quality union jobs from short‑term, lower‑paid placements. ‘‘We need to open up the numbers and have a practical conversation that’s respectful of unions,’’ Walstein said, adding that the city should look for Boston residents ‘‘sitting on the bench’’…