Feb. 9, 2014

Jobless Rate Rises in January for Black Men
By Frederick H. Lowe

chart-unemployment

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Black men rose in January as the nation’s nonfarm businesses added 113,000 jobs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning.

The overall Black unemployment rate in January was 12.1 percent compared to 11.9 percent in December. 

The jobless rate for Black men 20 years old and older was 12.0 percent in January compared to 11.5 percent in December. The unemployment rate for African-American women 20 years old and older was 10.4 percent in January, the same as in December, BLS reported.

The jobless rate for African-Americans is the highest among major worker groups except for teenagers, which was a seasonally adjusted 20.7 percent in January.

The unemployment rate for White men 20 years old and older was 5.4 percent, and the jobless rate for White women 20 years old and older was 5.2 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for Hispanics was 8.4 percent. The Asian unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, but it was not seasonally adjusted.

The nation’s overall seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.6 percent. Employment grew in construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade and mining.