Jobless rate for Black Americans drops as
others rise
Send a link to a friend
[September 02, 2023]
By Amina Niasse
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Black Americans were the only U.S. racial or ethnic
group to see a drop in their jobless rate in August, helping drive the
gap between the rates for Black people and white people back to near a
record low.
|
![](../images/090223PIX/busine17.jpg)
Thousands line up outside a temporary
unemployment office established by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet at the
State Capitol Annex in Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S. June 17, 2020.
REUTERS/Bryan Woolston |
A
rise in the jobless rate to 6% for African Americans in June as
rates for other key demographic groups fell or held steady had
raised concerns among some economists that it might signal a
broader weakening of the job market might be at hand. The
unemployment rate for Black Americans historically has risen
before an approaching recession and typically has turned higher
before that of other groups.
But figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
showed the rate for Blacks dropped for a second straight month.
August's half-percentage point drop to 5.3% came as the rates
for whites, Hispanics and Asian Americans all rose.
The overall U.S. jobless rate rose to 3.8% from 3.5%, but that
was the result of growth in the workforce. Overall employment as
measured by surveys of both employers and households rose in
August.
The unemployment rate gap between Black and white Americans fell
back to 1.9 percentage points, just 0.3 percentage points shy of
the record 1.6-point gap in April.
(Reporting by Amina Niasse; Editing by Peter Graff)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|
|