The economy added 200,000 jobs last month according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are about 13.1 million unemployed people in the country bringing our overall
unemployment rate to 8.5% ... down to its lowest level since February 2009 ... almost three years ago. This is good news for the re-election prospects of President Obama.
The news is not as rosy for the Black community.The unemployment rate in the Black community rose in December 2011 to 15.8%. This compares to previous months:- Aug 2011 - 16.7%
- Sep 2011 - 16.0%
- Nov 2011 - 15.5%
The overall message for the US economy is good. This is the sixth straight month with over 100,000 people entering the workforce.
However, that is still a ridiculously high rate of unemployment for African Americans is a problem that needs to be addressed. Jobs gained in December 2011 spanned virtually all industries, including: Transportation and warehousing (
makes sense with all of the holiday gifts being shipped around the nation); retail trade; manufacturing; health care and mining.
What is your opinion of the unemployment data that was released today?
