Unemployment rates rose for all racial groups except Black Americans in April | Wilnesh News

Data released on Friday showed that the unemployment rate for black Americans fell in April, bucking the overall trend. by the Department of Labor.

Black Americans remain the racial group with the highest unemployment rate in the country, although their unemployment rate fell to 5.6% last month from 6.4% in March. Still, it’s worth noting when compared with the overall unemployment rate, which rose from 3.8% to 3.9% in April, and other racial demographics, which all increased last month.

The unemployment rate for white Americans rose slightly, from 3.4% to 3.5%. Unemployment rates for Asian and Hispanic workers rose from 2.5% to 2.8% and from 4.5% to 4.8%, respectively.

However, the unemployment rate for black Americans has fluctuated significantly, rising from 5.6% in February to 6.4% in March.

“Fortunately, the numbers have gone down for a number of reasons. I think what that says is that last month was really just a statistic that happened because of a smaller sample size, and now that the numbers are going down in April is very promising, said senior engineer Elise Gould, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “You see this happen to black men and black women.”

Gould added that she was still keeping a close eye on the unemployment rate for Black Americans, which had risen for four consecutive months before April. She said it’s a key indicator to watch, or a canary in the coal mine, because historically marginalized groups are often the first to feel the effects of labor market weakness.

Among black workers, the labor force participation rate fell from 63.6% to 63.2%.

At the same time, the overall labor force participation rate remained stable at 62.7%. The share of Asian Americans rose from 64.1% to 64.7%, and the share of Hispanic workers also rose from 66.8% to 67.3%.

Gould pointed to another positive trend: Employment among “prime age workers” – those aged 25 to 54 – rose in April.

—CNBC’s Gabriel Cortes contributed to this report.