Boston Council Hearing Finds Construction Workforce Diversity Goals Mostly Unmet

BOSTON — April 13, 2026 — Boston's construction workforce diversity policy falls short on resident and women hiring. The City Council's Committee on Labor and Economic Development, chaired by District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell, held a virtual hearing April 13 to review the Boston Resident Jobs Policy, with data showing Boston residents worked just 19 percent of approximately 3.84 million monitored construction hours between October 2025 and March 31, 2026 — far below the policy's 51 percent goal and down from 28 percent in 2018. Women reached only 7 percent of hours against a 12 percent target, with Parks and Recreation recording 0 percent. Deputy Chief Jody Sugarman-Brosan and BRJP Senior Manager Christopher Brown told the committee that a new Salesforce-based database now collects certified payroll records in real time, and that a graduated warning system has so far kept formal sanctions to two or three total since the program's modern inception. The planning department estimates full BRJP compliance would deliver $174.4 million annually in wages to Boston residents; public commenter Weezy Waldenstein of Action for Equity put the broader neighborhood multiplier effect of the shortfall at $436 million.