The black youth unemployment rate for ages 16-19 is 393% higher than the national unemployment rate, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
As of October 2013, the unemployment rate for this demographic was 36.0 percent, an increase over last month’s rate of 35.1 percent.
The national unemployment rate currently stands at 7.3 percent. The unemployment rate is the percentage of people in the labor force who do not have a job.
To be in the labor force a person must either have a job or actively sought one in the last four weeks. Fewer black youth held jobs in October with the number of employed decreasing from 487,000 in September to 444,000. This means 43,000 fewer black youth held jobs in October.
Additionally, the participation rate for black youth has decreased from 29.4 percent in September to 27.3 percent in October, a decrease of 2.1 percentage points.
Govt. Worker Unemployment 4.4% — 39% Lower Than National Unemployment Rate
Government workers have an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent, which is 39 percent lower than the national unemployment rate of 7.3 percent, according to the latest data produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The unemployment rate increased in October compared to September, when it was 3.9 percent, but improved overall since its peak in 2013 when it stood at 5.3 percent in July.
Since Obama has entered office, the unemployment rate for government workers has changed little. The average unemployment rate for government workers in 2009 stood at 3.6 percent, and it has risen to 4.4 percent since then.
For government workers, the number of unemployed persons is significantly less than private workers. As of October, 920,000 were unemployed in government, while the number of nonagricultural private wage and salary workers unemployed was 8,011,000.
