ECONOMY

Jobs Report: Employment Remains Scarce for Minorities

By Doris Nhan

Updated: February 1, 2013 | 11:49 a.m.
February 1, 2013 | 10:57 a.m.

January payrolls saw an uptick in additional jobs, but also slight rise in unemployment at 7.9 percent. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) ()

Unemployment numbers for the Millennial Generation remain perilously high, according to a new report by Generation Opportunity.

Overall, the unemployment rate for those between 18 and 29 years is 13.1 percent in January, a 1.6-point jump from 11.5 percent in December.

Young African-American adults are unemployed at a dismal 22.1 percent, unchanged from December. About 13 percent of young Hispanic adults are unemployed, up from 12.2 percent in December.

The jobs report released Friday by the Labor Department shows some signs of growth, though it’s clear the economy is content to take the slow and steady route to recovery. Unfortunately for people of color, the news also means that their unemployment numbers, which have typically been bleaker than national averages, are also the same.

Overall, January’s unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in previous months. Payrolls added 157,000 jobs in January, falling short of the 160,000 jobs that economists had expected.

The unemployment rate for African-Americans remains highest at 13.8 percent in January, though that’s a 0.2 percentage-point drop from December. Hispanics are unemployed at a rate of 9.7 percent, a slight uptick from 9.6 percent the month before.

Asian-Americans and whites have unemployment rates at 6.5 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

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