African American unemployment outpaces others

Martin Jefferson worked 11 years as a bank teller and thought he had finally found the perfect career–until he was laid off October 12.

Jefferson, 36, now depends on unemployment benefits to help him support his wife and two children. His bank position was among the more than 50,000 jobs lost last year in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

But Jefferson is not alone when it comes to being Black and unemployed. In December, 11.9 percent of Blacks, nationally, were unemployed, which also was the rate for Black men.

Among whites, 6.6 percent were unemployed, nationally, in December. For white men, it was 6.5 percent.

And in 2007, Black unemployment peaked at 10.7 percent while whites were 4.4 percent and Hispanics 5.6 percent

One human resources professional says that education is a key reason why so many Blacks –especially men–are unemployed.

“Unfortunately, a lot of Blacks did not have the opportunity to further their education after high school so they lack the necessary knowledge needed to obtain white-collar jobs, such as office work jobs, which typically pays more,” said Sherese Johnson, a Chicago-based human resources management consultant. “And with our Black men, we must remember that a lot of them have criminal records so that also hinders them when searching for employment.”

Mitch Daniels, a labor market economist for IDES, also blames education for most Black unemployment.

“Our studies have shown that unemployment is higher among Blacks because they have less education than other races,” he said.

Still others point to advanced technology as an employment lockout for Black people.

“Almost everything is computerized, and if you are not digitally educated, you can forget it,” said Theodore Hampton III, HR vice president for Viper Telecommunications LLP in west suburban Oak Brook. “Traditional blue-collar jobs like factory work are a thing of the past. And Hispanics seem to have tied up the hospitality industry while whites still dominant office jobs, so where does that leave Blacks without any college education or vocational training?”

But J.P. Morgan & Chase Co. Economist Jason Terry disagreed and blamed the sluggish economy.

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