This piece by Frank Stricker published on Dollars and Sense reviews the latest jobs numbers in the US. While the headline unemployment rate is low, millions of Americans still do not have the work or as much work as they want.
“The National Jobs for All Network’s Full Count of this unemployment number, which includes more people who need and want jobs, is much, much higher at 10.9%.
Even the official numbers for specific categories, which are undercounts, are still quite high. The African-American rate was 6% not too long ago; in November it had risen to 8.3%. The official rate for black teens is now an incredibly high 31%. Many people are having a tough time finding jobs. Also, many people were laid off from the Federal work force, before the shutdown, during the shutdown, and after the shutdown. Blacks must have been especially hard hit.”