The unemployment price for black ladies fell in December

A job seeker holds flyers during the New York Public Library's annual Bronx Job Fair & Expo at the Bronx Library Center in the Bronx borough of New York on September 6, 2024.

Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Black women's unemployment rates fell in December after rising alarmingly in November.

Overall, non-agricultural employment grew much faster than expected in December. They rose by 256,000 in the month, exceeding economists' forecast of an increase of 155,000, according to Dow Jones. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, a sign of a robust labor market. The data fueled expectations that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates this year by far less than expected.

For black women, the unemployment rate fell to 5.4% in December. That's down from 5.9% in November, when the unemployment rate for the cohort rose nearly a percentage point. The labor force participation rate, which measures the population working or looking for work, rose to 62.4%.

Among Black workers overall, the unemployment rate also fell in December, falling to 6.1%. In comparison, the rate was 6.4% in November and 5.7% in October.

“There have been some concerns about an increase in the black unemployment rate,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, referring to the November increase. “It is still significantly higher than other groups – and that is still a concern – but nothing in this report stands out as being particularly problematic.”

Black men also made progress: The unemployment rate fell to 5.6% in December from 6% the previous month. The cohort's labor force participation rate fell slightly last month from 68.7% to 68.2%.

The unemployment rate for Hispanic men also improved in December, falling to 4% from 4.4% as labor force participation improved.

Although the unemployment rate for Hispanic women rose from 5.2% to 5.3% last month, Gould noted that shift is within the margin of error. “The data is very volatile,” she said. “I would say things have remained mostly stable.”

By comparison, the unemployment rate among white workers overall fell to 3.6% in December. That's a decrease of 3.8%. For white men, the unemployment rate fell from 3.5% to 3.3% last month, but for white women the number remained steady at 3.4%.

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