How High Is African-American Unemployment And Is It Going Down?

How High Is African-American Unemployment And Is It Going Down?
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 09: Job seekers wait in line at Kennedy-King College to attend a job fair hosted by the city of Chicago on November 9, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. Thousands of people started to line up at 3AM for the job fair which did not begin until 9AM. When the doors opened the line was about a half-mile long. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 09: Job seekers wait in line at Kennedy-King College to attend a job fair hosted by the city of Chicago on November 9, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. Thousands of people started to line up at 3AM for the job fair which did not begin until 9AM. When the doors opened the line was about a half-mile long. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Last hired, first fired. It's a cliche of the labor market that becomes an especially bitter reality during economic downturns. In both the Great Depression of the 1930s and the more recent Great Recession, the cliche held particularly true for African-Americans, as we pointed out in this broadcast story about East St. Louis from 2009.

So how are African-Americans faring in the labor market these days? The question is prompted by this email from Dr. Napoleon N. Vaughn of Philadelphia:

What is the unemployment rate for blacks 16-24 with less than high school, high school only, and four years of college?

The answer to Dr. Vaughn's question: Dismal. Indeed, the numbers never cease to stun me.

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