LOS ANGELES — As LA Metro prepares for global events coming to the region and major projects on the horizon, the Board of Directors is advancing an effort Friday to increase opportunities for women in construction.

In a unanimous vote Thursday, the Board approved a report and instructed staff to expand initiatives to help women, meet equity and hiring goals. Staff are expected to provide a progress update in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.

"Our goal is that we want to make the trades simpler for women," Board Chair and LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn said. "Our leaning in is to make it simpler and easier, and to break down those barriers so that women can have a co-equal chance at succeeding in the construction trades."

In 2019, Metro took steps to examine the disparity in construction opportunities for women. They authorized a study that assessed female participation levels in various trades and discussed barriers in recruitment and retention of women in construction roles.

As a start, the transportation agency launched several initiatives — such as the Women Build Metro LA program, the implementation of a report card system to measure how many contracts are awarded to women, and the Women in the Trades Resource Guide, among other things. Metro also began outreach to high schools that promote careers in construction. The agency has partnered with Women in Non-Traditional Employment, known as WINTER, a nonprofit dedicated to workforce development for women.

In April 2024, Metro formally commissioned the Female Construction Workforce Disparity Study, which was published March 14.

According to the study, female workers remain "significantly underrepresented" across regional infrastructure projects throughout LA County and the Greater Los Angeles Area. Between 2019-2023, women participated on Metro construction projects by 3.6% compared to 2.2% of LA County, and 1.9% of the Greater LA Area, which includes LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Metro previously made it a goal to reach a 6.9% female participation, as stated in its Project Labor Agreement/Construction Careers Policy.

Key findings showed the following:

• There were more women (as employees and apprenticeships)  in trades such as laborers, electricians, carpenters and operating engineers compared to construction
• Women in apprenticeships was on a positive trend through 2019, but it decreased significantly in 2020. From 2020-23, this trend began increasing, but it has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels
• There are more older women in construction than there are younger, a 10% increase and decrease, respectively
• Systemic barriers such as childcare accessibility, reliable transportation and supportive work environments hinder women's retention and career advancement in construction

The study indicated, under moderate growth, Metro could achieve a 5% female participation rate by 2043, while rapid supply growth could reach a 6.9% rate by 2040.

Among the recommendations to improve opportunities for women, Metro could implement requirements of its contractors to hire more women; establish a regional roundtable with union trades, contractor's associations and other stakeholders to formulate a strategic action plan; host a regional summit for women in various trades; establish an advisory group focused on women construction workers; and also launch a social media campaign to focus on women, youth and mentorship opportunities.