Tony Cárdenas
09/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/28/2021 10:07
Cárdenas Leads Letter Urging the Department of Labor to Improve Workforce Diversity and Accessibility Through Oversight of Internship Economy
September 28, 2021
Cárdenas Leads Letter Urging the Department of Labor to Improve Workforce Diversity and Accessibility Through Oversight of Internship Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) led 37 of his colleagues in a letter asking the Department of Labor to help leverage internships to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility by ensuring oversight and increasing data transparency of the internship economy.
"If we want to build a truly diverse workforce, we need to create equitable access to opportunity early on," said Congressman Cárdenas. "Data shows that internships are increasingly needed for students to learn the skill sets and build the networks they need to reach long-term career goals. When internships are unpaid, low-income students, especially those of color, are barred from those opportunities. It is fundamentally unfair, but it can be changed. Increased data transparency is an absolutely necessary step in ensuring that federal agencies leverage internships to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the workforce."
With internships currently unregulated and unaccounted for in federal data, policymakers and stakeholders are often unable to develop a full picture of the internship landscape. Reporting requirements would strengthen the ability of the Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to generate data on the internship economy, helping policymakers support stronger regulation and practices towards internship pay.
"Unpaid internships are not only an issue in the federal government, but across many other sectors. In 2012, USA Today estimated there were approximately 1.5 million internships in the U.S. each year, half of which were unpaid. USA Today estimates were based on incomplete data and are now a decade old. Because the Bureau of Labor and Statistics traditionally does not track internships, many go unaccounted for in federal data and unregulated. Internships are viewed as a necessity towards career advancement and without federal data on unpaid internships, the risk of upholding and exacerbating inequity increases," the Members wrote.
Citing the need for data transparency regarding the internship economy, the Members encouraged the Department of Labor to:
- Collect data on internship pay to allow for better accountability.
- Provide clarity on whether there are any plans to change the "Primary Beneficiary Test" guidance updated by the Department of Labor during the Trump administration.
- Investigate opportunities for the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) to better monitor violations of unpaid internship under the Primary Beneficiary Test, by creating a new Field Assistance Bulletin.
- Proactively engage with current interns, and those seeking internships, through a "Know Your Rights as Interns" campaign, specifically targeted to youth-focused groups and higher education institutions.
The letter was signed by Representatives Karen Bass, Cori Bush, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Yvette D. Clarke, Peter A. DeFazio, Jesús G. "Chuy" García, Josh Harder, Jahana Hayes, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr., Mondaire Jones, Kaiali?i Kahele, Barbra Lee, Andy Levin, Ted W. Lieu, Alan Lowenthal, Carolyn B. Maloney, Grace Meng, Seth Moulton, Jerrold Nadler, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Michael F.Q. San Nicolas, Jan Schakowsky, Adam Smith, Darren Soto, Mark Takano, Rashida Tlaib, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Nikema Williams.
Read the full letter to the Department of Labor HERE.
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