It’s a new month, but it’s the same old misery. The Labor Department reports the unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in August. The economy added 0 new jobs.
With zero job growth, 14 million Americans remain unemployed. The number of “involuntary part-time workers,” those who seek but are unable to find a full-time job, climbed from 8.4 million to 8.8 million.
For black Americans, the unemployment rate rose from 15.9 percent to 16.7 percent.
The jobless rate for black men climbed to 18.0 percent, from 17.0 percent. By contrast, white male unemployment fell from 8.1 percent to 8.0 percent.
For black women, the unemployment rate is unchanged at 13.4 percent. Still, it’s nearly twice that of white women (7.7 percent).
The black youth jobless rate is 46.5 percent, more than twice white youth unemployment (23.0 percent).
For a timeline on black joblessness, visit National Black Unemployment Rate.
