Aug 11, 2010

State of Urban Jobs - August 2010


What You Need to Know About the State of Urban Jobs! Click here for full report

Urban unemployment continues to plague our communities and hamper our progress. Our State of Urban Jobs site at iamempowered.com gives you everything you need to know about jobs including the monthly employment report with job stats for Blacks, Whites and Latinos, the facts about how investing in job creation is the best strategy for reducing the deficit, resume writing tips, job listings and the National Urban League's response to the current crisis. Stay abreast of the latest developments and join NUL economist, Dr. Valerie Rawlston Wilson, today at State of Urban Jobs (under the Interactive tab) from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm for a live chat on the July 2010 Employment report. Click here to view.


Highlights of the July 2010 Employment Report:

  • The economy lost a net 131,000 jobs in July, as large numbers of temporary Census jobs (-143,000) continue to wind down. Private employment increased by a modest 71,000.
  • The unemployment rate in July remained at 9.5% as labor force participation remained stable. The black unemployment rate edged up slightly to 15.6% (from 15.4%) as the participation rate fell to 61.5% (from 61.9%). The unemployment rate for black men decreased slightly (from 17.4% to 16.7%), as the rate for black women increased (from 11.8% to 12.9%). The unemployment rates for whites (steady at 8.6%) and Latinos (12.1% from 12.4%) also showed little change in July. Rates of teen unemployment (23.5%), particularly among African-American (40.6%) and Latino (35%) youth, also remain elevated as the Senate failed to pass summer jobs legislation. The rate of underemployment (including the unemployed, marginally attached and those working part-time for economic reasons) was also unchanged at 16.5%.
  • The ranks of long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 6.6 million (from 6.8 million) or 44.9% of all unemployed (from 45.5%). This persistently high rate of long-term unemployed along with the weak growth in private employment, and slowed economic growth over the last quarter indicates the tenuous state of the economy.
  • Manufacturing (+36,000), education and health services (+30,000) and transportation and warehousing (+12,200) all displayed modest growth in July as financial activities (-17,000), construction (-11,000), and state (-10,000) and local (-38,000) governments continued to shed jobs. To read more about the crisis in state and local government employment click here. Professional and business services also experienced negative net job growth for the first time since September 2009.

The July 2010 Employment report, along with other timely reports on unemployment insurance, how job creation reduces the deficit and NUL's 6-point Job Creation Plan are available at the new State of Urban Jobs page.


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