Monday, November 16, 2009

The face of jobless in the US

The New York Times has recently revealed the face of joblessness in the United States.  Whereas the average unemployment rate averaged at 8.6% for all men and women in the period ending September 2009, the unemployment rate for Black men and women was significantly higher at 13.9%. Furthermore, the unemployment rate for Black men averaged at 16.3%, almost twice more than the national average.

The unemployment rate for Black men without high school diplomas averaged at 31% against 18.4% for White men with similar education.  Hispanic males without high school diploma fared better than the Black and White men with unemployment rate of 14.6%.  Even more alarming is the unemployment rate among Black males aged 15 to 24 years old who lacked a high school diploma.  One in two such males was unemployed.

The unemployment rate for White and Hispanic females without high school diploma was the same at 16.3%.  However, the unemployment rate for Black females without a high school diploma was significantly higher at 23.4%.

While the U.S. president is lecturing China on human rights and wrongs, it would be prudent to first fix the disparities at his home where the haves and have-nots are divided along the racial lines.

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