June/July 2018 Your Opinion Matters


The Employment Situation Is Improving, So Why Aren’t Workers Dancing


any reason to dance. the unemployment Black ten


percent to 19.6 percent, a big part of this drop is contained in the fact that fewer teens are either working or looking for work. A year ago, there were 788,000 Black teens in the labor market, but the number had dropped to 681,000 last month. Thus, fewer teens were working last month (547,000) than a year ago (579,000).


teens have dropped out of the labor market because they don’t think they can find work, it is likely that more will look for work this summer.


BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX


The most recent unemployment rate report seems to contain nothing but good news.


overall unemployment rate is down to 3.8 percent, the lowest that it has been since 2000.


unemployment rate, at 5.9 percent, is lower than it has ever been. With the white unemployment rate at 3.5 percent, the ratio between Black


usually stuck at around 2, is below 1.7 percent, a historic low.


and white The Black


it is risky to make conclusions about Black unemployment, given month-to-month fluctuations (the last time 45 crowed about low Black unemployment rates in January, the number shot back up the following month by nearly a full percentage point), it is clear that the employment situation for African Americans has improved in the 500 or so days since


unemployment, While


The


45 took office. To be sure, much of the


improvement in the labor market can be attributed to the Obama recovery.


everything in place to ensure that the labor market improved.


it would be churlish to deny that some 45-inspired policies may have improved the employment situation. With economic growth nearing


business confidence stable, more than 220,000 new jobs were created in May.


encouraged businesses to add employees; the fact that wages have


Tax cuts have


increased by more than 2 percent suggests some slight tightening in the labor market.


3 percent, and with


President Obama put Still,


is extremely unlikely that the lower unemployment rate for teens will sustain through the summer unless businesses are strongly motivated to hire part-time and temporary


workers this summer. Teens have no reason to


Black women is at an amazing low of 4.7 percent, more than two full percentage points lower than a year ago.


of Black women is down slightly – there are about as many Black women in


as a year ago, despite population growth. to


Good news, right? So why aren’t workers dancing? Black teens have hardly


yet substantially realized, will have a disproportionate effect on Black women, since about 20 percent of all Black women work for the federal government. If you combine


cut the


Additionally, 45’s threats federal workforce, not


the labor force now The unemployment rate


dance, but what about the rest of us?


for The labor force participation It Even though many percentage teenagers points, dropped


rate among nearly 29


from Although


this with the threats to the social safety net, not yet realized, but anticipated, one can understand why few are dancing, even though the growth music is playing.


massive tax cuts that will only increase the deficit, House Republicans


budgetary “clawbacks”. Just this week, they have discussed cutting the food stamps by requiring more work of those who receive SNAP funding (a sizeable portion of SNAP recipients work but earn so little that they qualify for food assistance) and frozen some unspent funds from the child health program. House Speaker Paul Ryan, in his few remaining months in leadership, has pledged “entitlement


Medicaid and Social Security cuts. Even with lower unemployment and modest wage growth, these “entitlement reforms” bode ill for many workers.


reform” including are talking about After having passed


The HBCU Advocate 13


we simply celebrate the good news – lower unemployment rates and more new jobs are certainly worth noting. But some of the gains are shaky, not solid. Some are a function of people dropping out of the labor market. And some people’s economic


will not improve, especially with anticipated policy changes. While aggregate numbers look great, some people aren’t dancing because they haven’t been invited to the party.


condition


Many would suggest that


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