Black Youth `Seasonally Adjusted' Unemployment Rate Increases To 27.5 Percent In April 2015

Between March and April 2015, the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the United States increased from 25 to 27.5 percent; while the number of unemployed Black youths increased by 26,000 (from 161,000 to 187,000) during the same period, according to recently released “seasonally adjusted” Bureau of Labor Statistics data. 

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Latino youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the United States was still 18.9 percent in April 2015; while the number of Latino youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 30,000 (from 1,187,000 to 1,157,000) between March and April 2015, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data..

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 14.5 percent in April 2015; while the number of white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 36,000 (from 4,584,000 to 4,548,000) between March and April 2015, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data..

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all youths (Black, Latino, white and Asian-American) between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the United States was still 17.1 percent in April 2015; while the “seasonally adjusted” total number of youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the United States who still had jobs decreased by 20,000 (from 4,804,000 to 4,784,000) between March and April 2015. In addition, the “seasonally adjusted” total number of youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the U.S. labor force decreased by 55,000 (from 5,824,000 to 5,769,000) between March and April 2015; while the “seasonally adjusted” number of youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age not in the U.S. labor force increased by 49,000 (10,800,000 to 10,849,000) during the same period.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black male workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 9.2 percent in April 2015; while the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all Black workers in the United States (youth, male and female) was also still 9.6 percent during that same month. In addition, in April 2015, the official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black female workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 8.8 percent.

Between March and April 2015, the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino male workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 5.8 to 6 percent; while the official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all Latino workers (youth, male and female) in the United States increased from 6.9 to 6.9 percent during that same period. In addition, the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latina female workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 6.5 to 6.9 percent between March and April 2015; while the “seasonally adjusted” number of unemployed Latina female workers over 20 years-of-age increased by 45,000 (from 680,000 to 725,000) during the same period.

Between March and April 2015, the “seasonally adjusted” number of unemployed Asian-American workers in the United States increased by 106,000 (from 288,000 to 394,000);.while the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Asian-American workers in the United States increased from 3.2 to 4.4 percent during the same period..

 

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white female workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 4.2 percent in April 2015; while the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 4.4 percent during that same month. In addition, the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all white workers (youth, male and female) was still 4.7 percent in April 2015; while the “seasonally adjusted” total number of white workers who still had jobs decreased by 167,000 (from 117, 886,000 to 117,719,000) between March and April 2015. During the same period, the “seasonally adjusted” number of white workers in the U.S. labor force also decreased by 229,000 (from 123,739,000 to 123,510,00) and the “seasonally adjusted” number of white workers not in the U.S. labor force increased by 321,000 (from 72,743,000 to 73,064,000).

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all female workers over 16 years-of-age in the United States increased from 5.3 to 5.4 percent between March and April 2015; while the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all female workers over 20 years-of-age was still 4.9 percent in April 2015. In addition, the official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all male workers over 16 years-of-age in the United States was still 5.5 percent in April 2015; while the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 5 percent during that same month.

In April 2015, the official “seasonally adjusted” total number of unemployed workers in the United States was still 8,549,000; while the official unemployment rate for all U.S. workers (male, female and youth) was still 5.4 percent during that same month, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 8, 2015 press release:

“…The unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today...Mining employment continued to decline...In April, both the unemployment rate (5.4 Percent) and the number of unemployed persons (8.5 million) were essentially unchanged....

“Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Asians increased to 4.4 percent. The rates for adult men (5.0 percent), adult women (4.9 percent), teenagers (17.1 percent), whites 4.7 percent), blacks (9.6 percent), and Hispanics (6.9 percent) showed little or no change in April....

“…The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) changed little at 2.5 million, accounting for 29.0 percent of the unemployed….

“The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed at 6.6 million in April....These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

“In April, 2.1 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, little changed over the year…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 756,000 discouraged workers in April, little different from a year earlier....Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them....

“….Employment declined over the month in nonresidential building construction (-8,000)….Employment in mining fell by 15,000 in April, with most of the job losses in support activities for mining (-10,000) and in oil and gas extraction (-3,000). Since the beginning of the year, employment in mining has declined by 49,000, with losses concentrated in support activities for mining.

“Employment in....manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, information, financial activities, leisure and hospitality, and government showed little change over the month…

“The change in total nonfarm payroll employment….for March was revised from +126,000 to +85,000. With these revisions, employment gains in February and March combined were 39,000 lower than previously reported….”