National Urban League June Employment Report

WASHINGTON -- Urban unemployment continues to plague our communities and hamper our progress.  Our State of Urban Jobs site at iamempowered.com gives you everything you need to know about jobs including the monthly employment report with job stats for Blacks, Whites and Latinos, the facts about how investing in job creation is the best strategy for reducing the deficit, resume writing tips, job listings and the National Urban League's response to the current crisis. Stay abreast of the latest developments. Click here to view (http://www.wix.com/stateofurbanjobs/nulpi)
 

Highlights of the June 2010 Employment Report:

The economy lost a net 125,000 jobs in June, largely due a decrease (-225,000) in the number of temporary Census workers. Private employment increased by a modest 83,000. 

The unemployment rate in June fell to 9.5% as labor force participation declined by 0.3 percentage points. The black unemployment rate remained level at 15.4% (from 15.5%) as the participation rate fell to 61.9% (from 62.8%).  The unemployment rate for black men increased slightly (from 17.1% to 17.4%), as the rate for black women fell (from 12.4% to 11.8%).  The unemployment rates for whites (8.6% from 8.8%) and Latinos (12.4%) also showed little change in June. The rate of underemployment (including the unemployed, marginally attached and those working part-time for economic reasons) was also essentially unchanged at 16.5%.

The ranks of long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more) was unchanged at 6.8 million or 45.5% of all unemployed. This persistently high rate of long-term unemployed is a clear sign that labor market is far from being in recovery for many people in this country and along with the weak growth in private employment, reinforces the need for legislation that funds direct job creation, training for the chronically unemployed and the extension of much needed unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.  A new report from the National Urban League Policy Institute describes how critical the extension of UI benefits are to this recovery, highlighting the tenuous fiscal position of many states and suggesting needed improvements to the system.    

Professional & business services (+46,000), leisure and hospitality (+37,000) and education and health services (+22,000) all displayed modest growth in June as construction (-22,000), financial activities (-15,000) and state (-2,000) and local (-8,000) governments continued to shed jobs. To read more about the crisis in state and local government employment click here.

The June 2010 Employment report, along with a new report called AchievingFairness and Efficiency in Unemployment Insurance  and other interactive jobs features are available at the new State of Urban Jobs page. Click here to view (http://www.wix.com/stateofurbanjobs/nulpi).