Jobless Rate @ 15% For Blacks

JEC Statement on African American Unemployment Numbers
Congressional Desk
June 5 2009

Washington, D.C. - Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its monthly jobs report for May. Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, released the following statement in reaction to the labor market conditions for the African American community:

"The economy shed jobs at nearly half the pace of the past six months, which is an encouraging sign that the worst may be behind us. We are starting to see indications of economic progress as the recovery package begins to take hold across the country. But the rising unemployment rate in the African American community is a sobering reminder that we still have a long way to go to put people back to work and help families regain economic security."

Some quick facts from the May Jobs Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The unemployment rate for African American workers is now at 14.9 percent, up 6.0 percentage points from the start of the recession in December 2007.

The share of African Americans with a job has dropped 4.2 percentage points over the recession to 53.6 percent. The last time the employment to population ratio for African Americans was this low was August 1986.

The unemployment rate for African American males 20 and over is 16.8 percent, 8.6 percentage points higher than at the start of the recession. This means that 1 in 6 African American men, age 20 or over, is unemployed and actively searching for work. African American men are more likely to be unemployed for a longer period of time. The median duration of unemployment for African American men is 19.8 weeks, much higher than the median duration of 15.0 weeks for white men.

The unemployment rate for African American women age 20 and over has risen 4.1 percentage points since the start of the recession to 11.2 percent.

Unemployment among minority teens is especially high –2 in 5 African American teens are unemployed, along with 1 in 3 Hispanic teens. That compares with 1 in 5 for white teens.

The Joint Economic Committee, established under the Employment Act of 1946, was created by Congress to review economic conditions and to analyze the effectiveness of economic policy.

 

Yeah, i'm definitely feeling this. I am an entry-level graduate in IT, and i am having NO LUCK getting hired anywhere. Every place is asking for years and years of experience, but how can i get that experience if nobody is giving me a chance to get in there and learn? I hope something breaks for me soon. It does get frustrating after a while when you know you're doing everything you can, but nobody is giving you an opportunity.

 

That's the toughest thing. I read an article in my local paper (Cleveland Plain Dealer) about recent college grads and their difficulties finding work. It's similar to what you're facing, Bryant. Employers only want those with experience. The only thing you can really do is keep trying and hope the economy rebounds

 

You're right Dex. For the sake of my own sanity, all i can do is just continue to try and hope for the best. I have 30 thousand dollars in student loans that i have to pay back, but because i haven't been given the opportunity to work yet, i'm gonna have to try and get them deferred. Didn't you say you were also a student Dex?

 

Keep trying Bryant. You can do it. I believe you will find something out there :smt023

Yeah I'm still in school. I took a few years off but I'm going back this fall. I need to graduate. A college degree means so much now. The days of graduating high school and finding a good-paying factory job are long gone

 

I appreciate the words of encouragement bro. :smt023

A college degree does mean so much now. I just hope the economy picks back up soon, so we can all get back to work.

 

Hey man, what kind of IT job are you looking for? I may have some contacts at my previous job.

 

My internship had me doing technical support for Macs and PCs, so definitely something along those lines because it's the only thing i have experience in. I'm sure i could perform other IT related jobs if i receive the training though. Just doing classroom work, and not actually receiving on-job experience has been tough. But yeah, if you have any contacts who you can refer me to, that would be awesome Jaisee.

 

so you would think in this economy that after posting a job on craigslist that floods of resumes would come in...keep in mind i work in a recession proof industry...cosmetics and skincare so i am hiring right now for pt 15-20 hours per week and my company pays $15-26 per hour based on sales...my ad has been up for over a week...guess how many responses i received so far?

1

 

That's interesting. For me personally, i've had terrible experiences with Craigslist. I applied for like 30 jobs on there, just hoping to land something, and one day i get a phone call from a woman who asks me to come in for an interview. So, once i get there (all dressed up with a suit and tie) i come to find out that it's actually a pyramid scheme! It wasn't what she described on the phone at all. I was so disappointed. I can't say that i've had better luck on Careerbuilder either, because i got an e-mail from a guy saying that he's received my resume and wants to interview me, but i had my best friend do a little investigating for me and it turns out to be a money laundering scheme. I would have actually gone to prison if i agreed to work with this guy. Times are definitely crazy right now.

 

I have two contacts in IT in Chicago. Shoot me an email at johnny79@gmail.com and I'll give you the details. No promises or anything, I know that one is hiring, I'll look into the other.

 

Sweet, i'm e-mailing you right now.

 

Bryant, I hope something positive comes of this.

Good Luck, Brother.

 

I was watching a segment of CNN about this high unemployment among blacks in Los Angeles. The one point that is not mentioned is how illegal immigration has pushed many blacks out of jobs. Can it be said that there is racism by the employers or it it just economic reality, illegals are cheaper?

 

...

this one ^.

 

Obama owes his folks(only half because he is only half black) some jobs. He was the almighty black savior so he better get them some jobs, but if he doesnt they will still drink the cool aid since they ddint vote for issues, but only for a race

 

...:-?

 

their massa and savya, gon take care dem, see all things is free nah

 

:smt095

 

WoW