US unemployment figures are notoriously hard to find.
But now, they’re easier than ever.
In the past, it took a couple of years for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to release official unemployment figures.
The new figures, which will be released today, are expected to be released next week.
We’ve broken down the key points of the latest data.
1.
The latest data shows the US economy is growing and unemployment is falling.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent in November, down from 4.5 percent in October.
The number of people out of work fell to 13.7 million in November from 14.3 million in October, but the number of jobless fell slightly to 13 million from 14 million.
2.
The unemployment rates for whites and blacks are roughly equal.
According to the BLS, the unemployment rates in the two groups are roughly equally.
Whites are now 3.5 percentage points less likely to be out of a job than blacks, according to a study released today by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
That’s down from 5.5 points earlier this year.
3.
The overall unemployment rate for black Americans is 6.4 percent, down slightly from 7.2 percent in the previous month.
The percentage of blacks who are out of the labor force has dropped from 35.1 percent to 33.6 percent.
But blacks are still the most overrepresented demographic group in the labor market, and are still struggling with high rates of unemployment.
4.
Blacks are still more likely to experience job loss due to a disability or other health problem.
Blacks are now twice as likely as whites to have experienced a job loss because of a disability.
This is a huge improvement over the numbers from earlier this month.
5.
Blacks and whites have slightly different labor force demographics.
In November, the BJS reported that black men ages 25-54 were 25.4 percentage points more likely than white men to be working part-time, which is higher than the 10.5 point difference that was previously reported.
Black women ages 25 to 54 were 25 percentage points higher than white women.
6.
The share of Americans who have had a job is at its highest point since 2008.
The share of working-age Americans who report being in the labour force has been climbing for over three years, with the unemployment and underemployment rate falling to its lowest level since 2007.
7.
Blacks continue to experience higher levels of underems.
Unemployment among blacks has risen by nearly half a percentage point since 2014.
In November 2015, the labor participation rate for African Americans was 55.9 percent, compared to 51.1 per cent for whites.
8.
Unemployment among black men has been lower than that of white men since the recession began in 2008.
But that’s still a problem.
The labor force participation rate among black women fell to 59.3 per cent in November 2016 from 62.3 in October 2016.
9.
The economy is doing well in the short term.
While unemployment has been dropping, the economy has been growing.
Economists estimate that the unemployment gap between black and white workers is down from 6.7 percentage points in 2013 to 5.7 points in November.
10.
Blacks have more of a hard time finding a job.
According to the most recent data from the BIS, only 12.7 percent of African Americans were in the workforce in November 2015.
In October, the percentage of African American workers was 13.6 percentage points lower.
11.
The job market is getting better for minorities.
BLS data show that the number and percentage of jobs held by minority Americans has increased since the 2008 recession, and the number is expected to rise further this year, the Economic Policies Institute (EPI) said today.
12.
The US economy still lags behind most of the rest of the world in terms of wages and employment.
Although wages for whites have improved, they remain well behind those for blacks and Hispanics.
13.
Blacks in the United States earn less than whites but are better off than other Americans.
As a result, African Americans are more likely now than ever to live in poverty, according the Economic Research Service (ERS).
14.
The African American unemployment rate is nearly three times higher than that for whites, and nearly six times higher for Hispanics.
In fact, the African American poverty rate is more than three times that of whites, the ERS said.
15.
The gap between blacks and whites is much greater than the unemployment/unemployment gap between Asians and whites.
The average gap between the black and whites unemployment rate between 2014 and 2015 was 3.2 percentage points.
For whites, it was 1.5.
16.
Blacks who are in the workplace have a harder time
