Unemployment Climbs to 17.5% for Black Men

Repost from North Star News:

Unemployment Gets Worse for Black Men
The unemployment rate during May climbed to 17.5 percent for black men 20 years old and older on a seasonally adjusted basis, up from 17.0 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported June 3.

There were 1.411 million black men out of work and seeking jobs in May compared with 1.382 million who were out work and looking for a job, according to the bureau.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, however, among African-American women held steady. The jobless rate among black women in May was 13.4 percent,  nearly the same as it was in April. Some 1.210 million black women were out of work in May compared with 1.217 million who were jobless in April.

The overall unemployment rate in the black community continued to rise on a seasonally adjusted basis.

In May, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for black men and black women 20 years old and older was 16.2 percent compared with 16.1 percent in April. Bureau officials reported that 2.882 million African Americans were out of work in May compared with 2.882 million black men and women who were out of work in April.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate among African Americans is much higher than other racial and ethnic groups. May's unemployment among whites was 8 percent, the same as it was in April. Among Hispanics, May's unemployment rate rose slightly to 11.9 percent, up from 11.8 percent in April. The jobless rate for Asians was 7 percent, but that was not on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Last month, nonfarm payroll employment added 54,000 jobs and the overall unemployment rate was essentially unchanged from the previous month at 9.1 percent.