Black Unemployment Jumps to 7% in September, Nearly Double White Rate
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 2
Black Unemployment Jumps to 7% in September, Nearly Double White Rate
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 2
Summary
Black workers’ unemployment rate rose to 7% in September from 6% in August, a sharp one-month increase that undercut recent signs of improvement.
The gap widened because white unemployment was 3.6%, though economists cautioned that monthly demographic estimates can swing because they come from smaller household-survey samples.
Even beyond September, the trend has worsened: Black unemployment climbed from a record low of 4.8% in April 2023 to about 6% last spring and hit 8.2% last November.
That pattern matters because Black workers have often been the first to lose jobs in downturns, making the latest increase a potential warning sign for the broader labor market.
The report also challenges President Trump’s claim that strict immigration policies help Black workers; economists instead say early second-term government job cuts have disproportionately hurt them, especially women.