The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the national unemployment rate rose to 9.9 percent in April from 9.7 percent in March.
The black unemployment rate remains 16.5 percent, unchanged from March.
The economy added 290,000 new jobs last month, the largest one month employment gain since March 2006, according to Christina Romer, the Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
The overall jobless rate increased because the number of re-entrants to the labor force rose by 195,000.
The jobless rate for black men is 18.0 percent, down from 19.0 percent in March.
For black women, the unemployment rate is 13.7 percent, up from 12.4 percent in March.
A demographic breakdown of the employment situation is available here.
Also, check out the National Urban League Policy Institute’s Monthly Employment Report.
