Black Jobless Rate Jumps in August Compared to July
By Frederick H. Lowe

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased in August for Black men and Black women, but it dropped for Whites and Hispanics. The jobless rate for Asians, which is not seasonally adjusted, also showed a dramatic decline.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning that the unemployment rate for Black men and Black women 20 years old and older was 13.0 percent in August compared to 12.6 percent in July. The Black unemployment rate, however, is down from August 2012, when it was 14 percent.

The jobless rate for Black men 20 years old and older jumped to 13.5 percent in August from 12.5 percent in July.

The unemployment rate for Black women 20 years old and older was 10.6 percent in August compared to 10.5 percent in July, BLS reported.

Among the major worker groups - whites, Hispanics and Blacks - only African Americans reported an increase in their jobless rate.

The August unemployment rate for whites was 6.4 percent compared to 6.6 percent in July. The jobless rate for white men 20 years old and older in August was 6.2 percent compared to 6.3 percent in July.

The unemployment rate for White women 20 years old and older was 5.5 percent in August compared to 5.8 percent in July.

The jobless rate among Hispanics in August was 9.3 percent compared to 9.4 percent in July. Unemployment among Asians in August was 5.1 percent compared to 5.7 percent in July.

BLS reported that the unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in August compared to 7.4 percent in July.

The nation's businesses added 169,000 jobs in August compared to 104,000 jobs added in July. The job-creation rate in July was revised downward from162, 000.

The retail trade added 44,000 jobs last month, and manufacturing increased its workforce by 19,000 in August after declining by 10,000 in July.