It's a relative reference. Sowell was pointing out that for their station in society, more hours were being worked (even if that's being paid less). Industrious being by definition "diligent and hard-working". A lot of that was necessity and isn't necessarily a good thing but as a quality is it admirable.
It led to there being whole construction teams made up of black workers who did the same quality job but for less money. They even brought out a law to stop this as contracts were being monopolized by black construction crews.
In Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics, page 230 he talks about labour participation rates being higher for black workers compared to whites. (Chapter 11: Minimum Wage Laws). On page 232 (same chapter) unemployment rates were also lower for blacks (in 1930s). In other parts of the book (Chapter 24) he talks about how even with discrimination laws black and Jewish workers were hired over whites.
It's because they were cheaper. So in terms of working more and having lower unemployment, there's a good argument that blacks were more industrious.
How?
It's a relative reference. Sowell was pointing out that for their station in society, more hours were being worked (even if that's being paid less). Industrious being by definition "diligent and hard-working". A lot of that was necessity and isn't necessarily a good thing but as a quality is it admirable.
It led to there being whole construction teams made up of black workers who did the same quality job but for less money. They even brought out a law to stop this as contracts were being monopolized by black construction crews.
I'd like to see some references.
In Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics, page 230 he talks about labour participation rates being higher for black workers compared to whites. (Chapter 11: Minimum Wage Laws). On page 232 (same chapter) unemployment rates were also lower for blacks (in 1930s). In other parts of the book (Chapter 24) he talks about how even with discrimination laws black and Jewish workers were hired over whites.
It's because they were cheaper. So in terms of working more and having lower unemployment, there's a good argument that blacks were more industrious.