Job seekers speak with recruiters at the Albany Job Fair on October 2, 2024 in Latham, New York.
Angus Mordaunt | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The unemployment rate for black women rose sharply in November.
The overall unemployment rate was 4.2% last month, up slightly from 4.1% in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. However, unemployment rates rose significantly for some groups compared to others.
The increase was most significant for black women, whose unemployment rate jumped from 4.9% to 6%. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for white women rose slightly to 3.4% from 3.3% in October.
“The increase for black women is more pronounced than for white women,” said Kevin Lintz, senior fellow and research advisor at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.
The unemployment rate for black workers overall was also the highest last month, rising from 5.7% to 6.4%. The unemployment rate for black men reached 6%, while the unemployment rate for white men remained stable at 3.5%.
“This is a picture of a gradually cooling labor market, which is still relatively strong by recent historical standards, but with a growing number of marginalized workers like we saw in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic,” Lindt said. “We have not been able to bring in profits,” he added, underscoring the month’s volatility. -Monthly data.
The overall labor force participation rate, a measure of the number of people employed or looking for work, fell slightly to 62.5%. For black women, it fell to 62.3% in November, compared to 62.6% the previous month. The rate was 68.7% last month, down from 69.3% for black men.
Other demographic groups whose unemployment rates rose last month include Hispanic men. The unemployment rate in November was 4.4%, up from 4% in October.
