Black unemployment increases overall, but Black men see a drop

Special to the Outlook Trice Edney News Wire

January’s unemployment rate climbed overall for African-American workers, but dropped for Black men 20 years and older. Unemployment rose for Black women in the same age group, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

The jobless rate for African Americans was 8.8 percent compared with 8.3 percent in December, BLS reported.

For Black men 20 years old and older, the unemployment dropped to 8.4 percent in January compared with 8.7 percent the month before.

The jobless rate for Black women 20 years old and older, however, rose significantly to 7.9 percent, up from 6.9 percent last month.

On the other hand, the jobless rate for Whites still remains dramatically low at 4.3 percent in January compared with 4.5 percent in December. The unemployment rate for Hispanics also dropped. It was 5.9 percent in January, down from 6.3 percent in December. The jobless rate for Asians was 3.7 percent, down from 4.0 percent in December.

Generally, the unemployment rate fell below 5 percent for the first time in eight years as the longest streak of private-sector job growth on record continued, The White House reported. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 151,000 last month and the overall national employment rate was 4.9 percent.

Job gains occurred in the retail trade, food services, drinking places, health care and manufacturing. But unemployment increased in educational services, transportation,