(AURN News) — The federal government released its May jobs report showing the economy added 172,000 jobs last month, well above the 85,000 economists had forecast.
The national unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%.
But for Black workers, the picture’s more complicated.
The Black unemployment rate came in at 6.6% in May compared to 3.8% for white workers.
That gap has persisted for decades with no sign of closing.
Economists at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition noted a decline in Black male labor force participation, meaning some workers have stopped looking for jobs and are no longer counted in unemployment figures.
Long-term unemployment — workers jobless for six months or more — is up more than 500,000 over the past year, a trend researchers tie in part to ongoing federal workforce reductions that disproportionately affect Black workers.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
https://aurn-news.simplecast.com/episodes/black-unemployment-remains-elevated-despite-job-growth
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