Unemployment in NYC Shows Wide Racial Gap
Unemployment has increased four times faster for African Americans
By VICTORIA CAVALIERE
Updated 3:00 PM EST, Mon, Jul 13, 2009
Unemployment for black New Yorkers has increased much more rapidly than that of any other ethnic group, almost tripling since this time last year, a new report finds.
The unemployment rate among African-Americans during the first quarter of this year rose to 14.7% - four times faster than other ethnic groups in the city, according to a report issued by City Comptroller William Thompson.
For the same period in 2008, it was 5.7 percent.
The city's overall unemployment rate for the first quarter of 2008 was 4.9, growing to 8.1 percent for that period in 2009, labor statistics show.
While unemployment rose steadily for white New Yorkers during 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, the rate for black workers increased four times faster, the comptroller's report found.
By the end of March, there were about 80,000 more unemployed African-Americans than whites, even though there are roughly 1.5 million more whites than blacks in New York City, the report found.
Thompson, who is the leading Democrat challenger to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the city's mayoral race, said "“The recession is exacting a devastating toll on New Yorkers.”
“Economic downturns come and go, but leave behind a trail of human suffering. The severity of the current recession raises fears that the city’s job losses will match or exceed those of previous downturns.”
Thompson predicted that 400,000 New Yorkers will be out of work by 2010 -- the largest number in more than 15 years.
The reason for the employment disparity between blacks and whites is unclear, especially when a large number of layoffs in the city have been in fields where African Americans are traditionally not well represented -- including finance and professional services, the New York Times said.
Economists suggest that blacks may have had less seniority when layoffs occurred, making them more likely to lose their jobs, the Times said.
First Published: Jul 13, 2009 1:42 PM EST
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