Report: 288,000 Jobs Added, But Jobless Rate For African-Americans Still Alarming

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released jobs numbers today, reporting employers added 288,000 jobs in April. The numbers were well ahead of the 218,000 economists were expecting.

The jobless rate overall saw a drop, from 6.7% to 6.3%, standing as the lowest rate since before the recession of 2008. However, the labor force participation rate was at 62.8%, down from 63.2% in March.

Though the overall jobless numbers have declined and jobs have been added, African-American employment continues to pose a major challenge.

Black unemployment dropped from 12.4% to 11.6%, but is more than double the rate for white people (at 5.3%). Black women ages 20 and older trail close behind their male counterparts (at 10.4% compared with 10.8%.) In March, the gap was a bit wider, with the jobless rate for black women at 11% (compared with 12.1% for black men). The unemployment rate for black teenagers of both sexes is also at an alarming number at 38.6% (reflecting a rise from March and a large gap when compared with white counterparts, whose rate is 15.9%, a drop from the previous month).