Blacks as well as Latinos were far behind whites in employment levels even when the economy was booming. But throughout the recession, the unemployment rate has grown much faster for African Americans than for whites, according to the study by the Economic Policy Institute. Moreover, the unemployment gap between men and women has reached a record high — with men far outpacing women in joblessness.
The unemployment rate for Black males rose a whole percentage point to 18.0 percent and the rate for Black youths aged 16–19 jumped from 39.2 to 46.5 percent.
According to William Darity, an economist at Duke University, the Black unemployment rate may be in part attributed to more people feeling less discouraged about finding employment and reentering the workforce to jump start their job searches, Still, he says, it is also a sign of the discrimination that continues to exist in the labor market.
Georgia Tech Thomas Boston agrees that’s a part of the problem, particularly given the fact that Blacks comprise just 12 percent of the labor market but 22 percent of the unemployed. He also said that the unemployment burden is shifting from whites to African-Americans whose job losses are almost equal to white job gains.
“Part of it also is where Blacks are situated in the market. They have the kinds of jobs that are the first to be affected when the economy sneezes,” Boston explains. “We also have an economy that isn’t creating jobs for people with low levels of education and Blacks are heavily concentrated in that group. All of this points to an historical pattern of discrimination, which puts Blacks in a situation where they’re the first to experience downturns in the economy.”
According to the Associated Press, although employers added 117,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate continues to hover at 9.1 percent, there have been signs of increased consumer confidence. Americans continued to spend during the critical back-to-school season despite higher prices and Hurricane Irene’s roar up the East Coast, the manufacturing sector expanded for the 25th consecutive month and the auto industry experienced a notable boost. In addition, large and small retailers are reporting sales gains. Analysts are predicting that the economy will grow by approximately two percent in the current quarter, which is slow but better than the first half of the year, the AP reports.
In addition, the Labor Department reported that unemployment rates dropped in a majority of American cities in July despite a weak increase in jobs. But the economy needs twice the number of 117,000 net jobs added in that month to make a real dent in the overall unemployment rate.
Let us all say a prayer that Obama’s job plan and hopefully an upturn in the economy will bring more jobs to our communities!
Are you job ready? Here are a few BCG Job Ready Tips!
Get your resume right; Your resume will speak volume!
- The Right Title- What Job are you applying for? Be specific.
- Be Clear and Concise.
- Check Your Spelling and Grammar.
- Submit a cover letter. A good cover letter is like an introduction about the candidate and helps the recruiters understand your personality, which is half the battle won.
- Have someone else look at your resume for you.
Some Interviewing Tips:
- Be on time and leave your cell phone in the car.
- Have a firm handshake and look your interviewer in the eye.
- Bring resumes, a pen and a notepad to take notes.
- Ask questions when given the opportunity , use this time to showcase your knowledge about the company.
- Know the company, and why you want to work there.
- Dress sharp!
Some Job Search Websites and Resources:
www.careerbuilder.com
www.monster.com
www.beyond.com
www.hound.com
www.craigslist.org
www.jobster.com
www.job-hunt.org
Source: Associated Press and BET
