Paul Ong, professor of urban planning and social welfare at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, is an expert on the labor market status of minorities and immigrants, displaced high-tech workers, and work and welfare policies. Trained as an economist and urban planner, he also is a professor of Asian American studies, researches Asian American political engagement and comments frequently on Asian American demographics, especially in Southern California. Ong serves as a consultant to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, among other federal, state and local agencies.