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- iHaveNet.com: Economy
by Danielle Kurtzleben
Economic Recovery a Longer Struggle for Blacks and Hispanics
At the height of the economic crisis, while Americans learned lingo like "credit default swaps" and "liars' loans," another new word crept into the national vocabulary: "mancession." This term was coined to describe a wave of job losses that disproportionately affected men. Now, while data show that the employment gap has closed considerably, major gaps remain between racial and ethnic groups. Even as recovery creeps along, it may be time to ask if the United States is in the grips of a "race-cession."
Throughout the economic crisis, the male unemployment rate soared, reaching 11.4 percent in October 2009, 2.7 percentage points higher than the unemployment rate for women, according to the
[See why Hispanics will be a key voting bloc in the 2012 presidential race.]
Unemployment gaps between racial and ethnic groups are not new.
In 2006 and 2007, before the economic crisis, unemployment for whites hovered between 3.8 and 4.4 percent and for Asians stayed between 2.7 and 3.7 percent. Meanwhile, the rate for Hispanics ranged from 4.7 to 6.3 percent, and for blacks ranged from 7.7 to 9.5 percent.
While those gaps have long existed, the economic crisis has exacerbated them, miring some groups' unemployment rates in the double-digits. Furthermore, it is clear that the slowly rising tide of economic recovery is clearly not lifting all boats equally. The unemployment rate for blacks is down only 0.3 percent from its January 2010 peak of 16.5 percent. Hispanics have fared somewhat better; their 11.9 percent unemployment rate is down 1.3 percent from a peak of 13.2 percent in November 2010. Whites, who have much lower unemployment than both of these groups, have also made greater gains, with a 1.4 percent drop in unemployment since their 9.4 percent peak.
Determining why these unemployment gaps persist is a complicated enterprise.
One cause often cited for the "mancession" was that "men's" industries -- construction and durable goods manufacturing, for example -- suffered some of the worst job losses, while industries with large shares of female workers, like healthcare, government, and education, fared better in the recession. Differences between industries may likewise be responsible for unemployment gaps between races and ethnicities, according to Gary Burtless, an economist at the
Educational attainment levels may exacerbate these gaps, says Burtless: "Some ethnic and racial groups do have less schooling than others, and almost always recessions are harder on folks with less schooling than they are with people with the most schooling." He points out that the industries that are seeing the most growth, like healthcare, require workers with specialized education or advanced degrees. And some groups have far more of those degrees than others. Among Americans 25 and older, Asians are by far the most educated, with nearly 50 percent holding bachelor's or graduate degrees, according to the
[See how baby boomers are changing the economic landscapes of major U.S. cities.]
While educational attainment is an important factor in finding employment, the education system will not provide the fastest route out of the "race-cession," according to Catherine Singley, a senior policy analyst at the
According to Hilary Shelton, director of the
Politicians may constantly acknowledge the need for job growth, but Singley does not expect meaningful action anytime soon. "In Congress and in city halls, there's a lot of talk about jobs, but there aren't a lot of ideas and concrete policies being advanced," she says. Indeed, members of Congress and President Obama are currently spending their energy on the budget and the debt ceiling. But once 2012 campaigns begin in earnest, jobs will certainly become an even bigger part of the national dialogue. As any politician knows, an unemployed voter is an unhappy voter, regardless of race.
WORLD | AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | MIDDLE EAST | UNITED STATES | ECONOMY | EDUCATION | ENVIRONMENT | FOREIGN POLICY | POLITICS
As The 'Mancession' Peters Out, The 'Race-Cession' Is Still Going Strong