Understanding the Economy: Long-Term Unemployment in the African American Community
"This report provides an in-depth look at unemployment, including long-term unemployment,
among African American or black workers. Since 1972, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics
started tracking unemployment rates by race, it has become clear that the overall
unemployment rate for the United States has masked the depth of the unemployment problem
within the African American community.

This report is the first in a series of Joint Economic Committee reports examining the
unemployment situation among different demographic groups. It shows that while African
American workers have historically faced rates of unemployment and long-term unemployment
higher than the overall rate, the unemployment problems in the African American community
were exacerbated during the Great Recession. Additionally, a larger percentage of African
Americans are currently “marginally attached” or have dropped out of the work force, relative
to the population as a whole..."