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Highlights of the May 2011 Employment Report
What You Need to Know About the State of Urban Jobs!
NUL’s State of Urban Jobs site at iamempowered.com gives you everything you need to know about jobs including the monthly employment report with stats for Blacks, Whites and Latinos, the National Urban League’s position on employment and job creation policy, the facts about how investing in job creation is the best strategy for reducing the deficit, as well as resume writing tips and job listings. Click here to view and stay abreast of the latest developments.
Thank you for joining us today, June 3, 2011 from 2:00pm-3:00pm ET for a live online web chat about the May 2011 Employment report.
Check out the Q&A from the jobs chat below!
Highlights of the May 2011 Employment Report:
The economy gained only 54,000 jobs in May while private sector employment (excludes government losses) increased by 83,000. May employment gains were disappointing, following gains that averaged 220,000 in the prior 3 months. Slow home sales, declining home prices and rising commodity prices have put an apparent damper on the economy. The number of unemployed people in May was little changed at 13.9 million, while the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 64.2% for the fifth consecutive month.
Private sector job growth was concentrated in professional & business services (+44,000), and education & health services (+34,000; +17,400 in health care alone). Most losses were concentrated in government (-29,000), with local governments alone shedding 28,000 jobs in May. More modest job losses were seen in retail (-8,500), leisure & hospitality (-6,000) and manufacturing (-5,000) – all of which had shown promising job growth in recent months.
The unemployment rate was essentially unchanged – now 9.1% (from 9.0% in April). The black unemployment rate was little changed at 16.2% (from 16.1%) – the unemployment rate for black men was up to 17.5% (from 17.0%); for black women, it was unchanged at 13.4%. The unemployment rate for whites remained 8.0% while the Hispanic rate was 11.9% (from 11.8%). Rates of teen unemployment were 20.7% for whites (from 22.3%), 40.7% for African-Americans (from 41.6%) and 26.1% for Latinos (from 23.4%). The rate of underemployment (including the unemployed, marginally attached and those working part-time for economic reasons) was 15.9% (from 15.7%).
The ranks of long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased to 6.2 million (from 5.8 million) or 45.1% of all unemployed. The underemployment rate or “real” unemployment rate (includes unemployed, marginally attached and those working part-time for economic reasons) was 15.8%.
The May 2011 Employment report is available at the State of Urban Jobs website. Also, available from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), the May 2011 edition of its state-by-state snapshots which detail each individual state’s economic progress for the previous month. For more information on state and regional unemployment statistics for April 2011 (latest available), click here. For more information on metropolitan area unemployment statistics for April 2011 (latest available), click here.
Check out the Q&A from the May 2011 State of Urban JOBS Chat below!
Dr. Valerie Rawlston Wilson is an economist and Vice President of Research at the National Urban League Policy Institute where she is responsible for planning and directing the Policy Institute’s Research Agenda. She is one of the primary architects of the National Urban League’s Plan for Putting Americans Back to Work, a bold 6-point job creation plan for urban America. Dr. Wilson has served as Managing Editor and Associate Editor of The State of Black America report and is staff director and ex-officio member of the National Urban League President’s Council of Economic Advisors, designed to assist the League in shaping national economic policy. Her fields of specialization include labor economics, economics of higher education, poverty and racial inequality. Dr. Wilson earned a PhD in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Additional information:
NUL’s State of Urban Jobs site at iamempowered.com gives you everything you need to know about jobs including the monthly employment report with stats for Blacks, Whites and Latinos, the National Urban League’s response to the current crisis, the facts about how investing in job creation is the best strategy for reducing the deficit, as well as resume writing tips and job listings.
The project was launched in 2010 by Iamempowered.com and the National Urban League’s Policy Institute, to bring the Institute’s esteemed research, policy analysis and publications online. Through such activities as the annual Legislative Policy Conference and the publication of The State of Black America the Policy Institute provides a foundation from which to advocate on behalf of African Americans and urban communities. The Institute’s extensive collection of reports, fact sheets and publications is made available in one location for scholars, policy analysts, policymakers and advocacy groups, along with tools and information for entrepreneurs, job seekers, and those seeking information on the emerging green economy.
