WASHINGTON (NNPA) —The unemployment rate for Blacks (11.4 percent) and Whites (5.3 percent) remained unchanged from July to August, but the fact that Black unemployment is 2.4 percent higher than when the recession began five years ago is an indication that Blacks have the farthest to go to get back to pre-recession levels, according to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The CBPP reported that the unemployment rate for Whites is about one point higher than it was at the start of the recession and for Hispanics it is 1.2 percent higher.
According to the latest monthly job report issued Friday, the unemployment rate for Black men over 20 years old dropped from 11.1 percent in July to 10.8 percent in August, but the labor force participation rate, the measure of workers that either have jobs or are still looking, also fell from 68 percent to 67.3 percent. That means that the drop in the unemployment rate is likely due to people dropping out of the job market.
By contrast, the jobless rate for White men over 20 years old rose from 4.8 to 4.9 percent and the labor force participation rate was flat from July to August (72.2 percent).
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