The nation’s economic recovery appears to moving in the right direction–– for some, according to last month’s jobs report.
On Friday (November 5), the US Labor Department released its monthly jobs report commonly used to gauge where the US is in terms of economic strength especially within individual American households.
October’s report shows the country added 531,000 jobs, providing relief to economist who watched two consecutive months of stalled recovery overall.
The national unemployment rate also fell last month –– dropping to 4.6% from 4.8% in September. The current national unemployment rate, however, is still well over the pre-pandemic average of 3.5%.
Among Black Americans, unemployment still remains at September’s rate of 7.9% –– nearly twice the national average, showing evidence that even as the nation recovers, there’s still inequality in progress.
Unfortunately this trend is not new. The jobless rate among Black people in the US has been higher than other groups even before the pandemic and has continued to be elevated since Covid-19 hit. The disproportionate rate of economic progress is exacerbated by discrimination and hardships Black families are facing at the same time –– including food insecurity, housing inequality and more.
News of this reports comes as Congress remains in gridlock on an infrastructure bill that many have hailed would be helpful for many parents to secure employment, and families get provided necessary resources to stem off the impact of the pandemic’s economic impact.
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