Black Female Worker Unemployment Rate Increases To 12.5 Percent In February 2013

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Black female workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States increased from 12.3 to 12.5 percent between January and February 2013; while the number of unemployed Black female workers over 20 years-of-age increased by 11,000 (from 1,178,000 to 1,189,000) during the same period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data. In addition, the number of Black female workers over 20 years-of-age who still have jobs decreased by 65,000 (from 8,367,000 to 8,302,000) between January and February 2013; and the number of Black female workers over 20 years-of-age still in the U.S. labor force decreased by 54,000 (from 9,545,000 to 9,491,000) during the same period.

The official unemployment rate for Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age jumped from 37.8 to 43.1 percent between January and February 2013; while the number of unemployed Black youths increased by 37,000 (from 270,000 to 307,000) during the same period. In addition, the number of Black youths who still have jobs decreased by 40,000 (from 444,000 to 404,000) between January and February 2013; while the official jobless rate for Black male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 12.9 percent in February 2013.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all Black workers (youth, female and male) in the United States in February 2013 was still 13.8 percent in February 2013; while the total number of unemployed Black workers increased by 12,000 (from 2,568,000 to 2,580,000) between January and February 2013. In addition, the total number of Black workers who still had jobs decreased by 14,000 (from 16,073,000 to 16,059,000) between January and February 2013; while the number of Black workers not in the U.S. labor force increased by 34,000 (from 11,549,000 to 11,583,000) during the same period.

The official jobless rate for white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age increased from 20.8 to 22.1 percent between January and February 2013; while the number of unemployed white youths increased by 54,000 (from 983,000 to 1,037,000) during the same period. In addition, the number of white youths who still have jobs decreased by 101,000 (from 3,746,000 to 3,645,000) between January and February 2013.

The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age jumped from 26.5 to 29.1 percent between January and February 2013; while the number of unemployed Latino youths increased by 6,000 (from 288,000 to 294,000) during the same period, according to the “not seasonally adjusted” data. In addition, the number of Latino youths who still have jobs decreased by 82,000 (from 798,000 to 716,000) between January and February 2013; and the number of Latino youths still in the U.S. labor force decreased by 76,000 (from 1,086,000 to 1,010,000) during the same period.

The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Latino female workers over 20 years-of-age also increased from 9.9 to 10 percent between January and February 2013; while the number of unemployed Latino female workers over 20 years-of-age increased by 14,000 (from 981,000 to 995,000) according to the “not seasonally adjusted” data. In addition, the “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 9.1 percent in February 2013.

According to the “seasonally adjusted” data, the number of Latino workers not in the U.S. labor force increased by 84,000 (from 12,522,000 to 12,606,000); while the size of the Latino labor force in the United States decreased by 9,000 (from 24,572,000 to 24,563,000). And the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all Latino workers (youth, male and female) was still 9.6 percent in February 2013.

The total number of white workers in the United States who still had jobs decreased by 16,000 (from 115,266,000 to 115,250,000) between January and February 2013, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data; while the number of white workers in the U.S. labor force decreased by 345,000 (from 123,971,000 to 123,626,000) during the same period. And the unemployment rate for all white workers (youth, male and female) was still 6.8 percent in February 2013.

The number of white male workers over 20 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 204,000 (from 64,924,000 to 64,720,000) between January and February 2013; while the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 6.3 percent in February 2013. In addition, the number of white female workers over 20 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 94,000 (from 54,318,000 to 54,224,000) between January and February 2013; while the unemployment rate for white female workers over 20 years-of-age was still 6 percent in February 2013.

According to the “not seasonally adjusted” data, the number of Asian-American workers not in the U.S. labor force increased by 16,000 (from 4,603,000 to 4,619,000); while the unemployment rate for Asian-American workers was still 6.1 percent in February 2013.

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the United States increased from 23.4 to 25.1 percent between January and February 2013; while the unemployment rate for all male workers in the United States over 16 years-of-age was still 7.8 percent in February 2013. In addition, the official jobless rate for all female workers in the United States over 16 years-of-age was still 7.7 percent in February 2013; while the unemployment rate for all female workers over 20 years-of-age was still 7 percent in that same month.

The jobless rate for all male workers over 20 years-of-age was also still 7.1 percent in February 2013; and 12,022,000 workers in the United States were still officially unemployed in that same month.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March 8, 2013 press release:

“…The unemployment rate…has shown little movement…since September 2012…The rates for adult men (7.1 percent), adult women (7.0 percent), teenagers (25.1 percent), blacks (13.8 percent), and Hispanics (9.6 percent) showed little or no change. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.1 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little changed from a year earlier.

“In February, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was about unchanged at 4.8 million. These individuals accounted for 40.2 percent of the unemployed...The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 8.0 million, was essentially unchanged in February. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.


“In February, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force…These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey...Among the marginally attached, there were 885,000 discouragaed workers in February...Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them..."