August 3, 2014
Black Unemployment Rate Jumped to 11.4 Percent in July
By Frederick H. Lowe
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - July was a bad news month for African-American workers, although nonfarm payroll employment increased by 209,000.
The overall unemployment rate on a seasonally adjusted basis for Blacks climbed to 11.4 percent, up from 10.7 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning.
The jobless rate for Black men 20 years old and older was 11.1 percent in July compared to 10.9 percent in June. And the unemployment rate for Black women 20 years old and older was 10.1 percent in July, dramatically up from 9 percent in June.
The jobless rate for Black workers is twice as high or even higher than other racial or ethnic groups. The unemployment rate for Whites was 5.3 percent in July, the same as it was in June. The jobless rate in July for White men 20 years old and older was 4.8 percent, down from 4.9 percent in June.
The number of White women 20 years old and older who were out of work in July was 4.9 percent, up slightly from June, which was 4.8 percent.
Hispanics also fared better in the job market compared to African-Americans. The jobless rate for Hispanics was 7.8 percent in July, the same as June.
On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the Asian unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in July, down from 5.1 percent in June.
BLS reported the overall unemployment rate in July was 6.2 percent. Businesses added jobs in professional and business services, manufacturing and construction.