Black Male Worker `Seasonally Adjusted' Unemployment Rate Still 14.2 Percent in September 2012

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Black male workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 14.2 percent in September 2012; while the number of Black male workers over 20 years-of-age with jobs decreased by 14,000 (from 7,049,000 to 7,035,000) between August and September 2012, according to the recently released Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In addition, between August and September 2012, the number of Black male workers over 20 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 26,000 (from 8,228,000 to 8,202,000); while the number of Black female workers over 20 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 73,000 (from 9,455,000 to 9,382,000) during the same period.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black female workers over 20 years-of-age was still 10.9 percent in September 2012; while the unemployment rate for Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 36.7 percent during that same month. For all Black workers in the United States (male, female and youth), the official unemployment rate was still 13.4 percent in September 2012; and the total number of all Black workers in the U.S. labor force decreased by 34,000 (from 18,379,000 to 18,345,000) between August and September 2012.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 21.2 percent in September 2012; while the number of white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 21,000 (from 4,609,000 to 4,588,000) between August and September 2012. The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all white workers in the United States (male, female and youth) decreased from 7.9 percent in September 2011 to 7 percent in September 2012, as the total number of white workers in the U.S. labor force decreased by 1,039,000 (from 124,701,000 to 123,662,000) during the past year.

The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Latino youth between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 27.8 percent in September 2012; while the number of Latino youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age with jobs decreased by 50,000 (from 861,000 to 811,000), according to the “not seasonally adjusted” data. According to the “seasonally adjusted” data, the official jobless rate for all Latino workers in the United States (male, female and youth) was still 9.9 percent in September 2012; while the “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino female workers over 20 years-of-age was 9.8 percent during that same month. The “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Latino male workers over 20 years-of-age was 7.6 percent in September 2012; while the “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Asian-American workers in the United States was 4.8 percent during that same month.

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all male workers in the United States over 16 years-of-age was still 8 percent in September 2012; while the official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all female workers in the United States over 16 years-of-age was 7 percent during that same month. And the official unemployment rate for all youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the United States was still 23.7 percent in September 2012.

According to the October 5, 2012 Bureau of Labor Statistics press release:

“…Employment increased in health care and in transportation and warehousing but changed little in most other major industries…The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 4.8 million and accounted for 40.1 percent of the unemployed…The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) rose from 8.0 million in August to 8.6 million in September. 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 September, 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, essentially unchanged from a year earlier…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 802,000 discouraged workers in September…Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them…

“Manufacturing employment edged down in September (-16,000)…In September, job losses occurred in computer and electronic products (-6,000) and in printing and related activities (-3,000).

“Employment in other major industries, including mining and logging, construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, information, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and government, showed little change over the month…”