Monthly Latino Employment Report Issued December 7, 2012 to Whites (12%). When compared to underemployment rates for Latinos and Blacks at the end of the Great Recession in June 2009 (23.9% and 22.5% respectively), current underemployment rates show little to no promise of improved economic stability for these workers.
Figure 1. Underemployment Rate of Workers 16 and Older by Race and Ethnicity, October 2011–October 2012 (seasonally adjusted)
Source: Economic Policy Institute calculation using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey microdata, 2012.
While the trend is decreasing, we still need to pay attention to the high rates of underemployment because it affects families’ economic security and can impede recovery. Looking beyond the unemployment rate to closely examine underemployment, and involuntary part-time workers in particular, reveals concerning conditions, demonstrating the need for public policies to spur job creation that will put unemployed and underemployed people back to work full time.
Special thanks to the Economic Policy Institute for providing the data for this report.
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