Joint Center Senior Policy Analyst Participates in Groundwork Collaborative Twitter Chat on Jobs Day Numbers

Last month, the Black unemployment rate was 5.7%, down from 5.9% in October and 1.2% lower than it was in November 2021. This is good news and evidence that Black workers are seeing some of the benefits of a tight labor market. https://t.co/niPydwd61b

— Justin R. Nalley, MPA (@justin_nalley) December 2, 2022

While the overall labor force participation rate has fallen, Black workers are still seeing employment gains. The economy added 154,000 Black workers in November and the Black LFP rate rose to 62.3%. #BeyondTheNumbers https://t.co/niPydvVv9D

— Justin R. Nalley, MPA (@justin_nalley) December 2, 2022

Despite growth there are persistent gaps in the unemployment rates affecting Black workers.Those gaps have remained unclosed throughout the recovery. Over the past two years, the Black unemployment rate has on average been 59.4% higher than the Nation’s overall unemployment rate. https://t.co/EqB7hZXMrg

— Justin R. Nalley, MPA (@justin_nalley) December 2, 2022

We know that “race-neutral” economic policy, at best, allows systemic inequities to persist, even in the best of times. Policies that seek to build an inclusive and resilient economy must be explicit in addressing inequities #BeyondTheNumbers https://t.co/EqB7hZXMrg

— Justin R. Nalley, MPA (@justin_nalley) December 2, 2022

The past few years have shown us that despite the state of the economy, racial gaps in employment outcomes persist. While some economist may argue that we are at “full employment” many Black workers and households are still recovering from the latest recession. #BeyondTheNumbers https://t.co/X1q0jhPbHX

— Justin R. Nalley, MPA (@justin_nalley) December 2, 2022

Efforts to slow down the economy without policies or protections to ensure Black workers won’t bear the brunt of an uptick in unemployment is a recipe for disaster. #BeyondTheNumbers https://t.co/X1q0jhPbHX

— Justin R. Nalley, MPA (@justin_nalley) December 2, 2022