ECONOMY

Unemployment Rate Still Stagnant for Minorities

By

Updated: December 7, 2012 | 12:09 p.m.
December 7, 2012 | 12:08 p.m.

The unemployment rate for blacks dropped 1.1 percent since October, but still remains above the national average. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong)

While the overall unemployment rate declined to 7.7 percent in November, the jobless rate stagnated for some minority groups.

(Related Story: Jobless Rate Falls to 7.7 Percent)

Hispanic joblessness remained at 10 percent, and Asian-American unemployment, which is not seasonally adjusted, was steady at 6.4 percent.  

(Related Story: Oct. Jobs Report Results Mixed for Minorities)

There’s some good news, however.

The unemployment rate for blacks edged down to 13.2 percent in November, from 14.3 percent the previous month, according to data released on Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, this demographic continues to experience unemployment rates higher than any other racial or ethnic group.

The number of people who have been jobless for at least 27 weeks remained at 4.8 million in November. An additional 2.5 million stopped looking for work four weeks before the survey was conducted.  

Overall, the economy added 146,000 nonfarm jobs in November. Unsurprisingly, the boosts were in the retail trade, professional, and health care sectors:

  • Retail: 53,000 additional jobs. Of those, 33,000 were in clothing and accessory, 10,000 in general merchandise, and 9,000 in appliance and electronics stores.
  • Professional and business: 43,000 additional jobs, with most in the computer-systems design and related services.
  • Health care: 20,000 additional jobs, with hospitals and nursing-care facilities seeing much of the gains.
  • Leisure and hospitality: 23,000 additional jobs.

 

Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.


Read & Post Comments
More By This Writer
Rosa Ramirez's Pic
Rosa Ramirez |
Leave A Comment
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus
@TheNextAmerica
twitterLogo
What is Next America?
Virtually every issue the United States contends with promises to be affected by deep currents of change illuminated by demographic shifts. With The Next America, National Journal unveils an unprecedented effort to explore the significant political, economic and social impact of profound racial and cultural changes.

The initiative includes polls, national and local events with thought leaders, magazine supplements and launch of a full website May 1.


The Story That Started It All

In 2010, Ronald Brownstein wrote The Gray and the Brown: A Generational Mismatch about America’s shift to an older, more ethnically diverse population and how these changes affect us as a nation.