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Invest In Higher Ed and Work to Narrow Racial Employment Gap

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 6, 2015

Contacts: Colin Seeberger, colin.seeberger@younginvincibles.org, 214.223.2913

Invest in Higher Education and Work to Narrow Racial Employment Gap

[WASHINGTON]—As the national unemployment rate fell from 5.7 percent in January to 5.5 percent in February and the economy added 295,000 jobs, the unemployment rate for 18 to 34 year-olds fell to 7.5 percent in February from 7.8 percent in January (seasonably adjusted).

While we have seen a steady increase in employment over the last year, black young adults still face an unemployment rate that’s more than two times as great as their young white peers – 14.6 percent compared to 6.7 percent, respectively. A Young Invincibles report released last year finds that lawmakers can help narrow this divide by investing in higher education and making college more accessible.

Here are more details on how different populations of young people fared relative to the overall workforce in February 2015:

Feb Chart Jpeg

• The unemployment rate for Black/African American young adults ages 18 to 34 in February is 14.6 percent (not seasonally adjusted), down from 15.5 percent in January.

• The unemployment rate for Hispanic/Latino young adults ages 18 to 34 in February is 8.8 percent (not seasonally adjusted), down from 9 percent in January.

• The unemployment rate for Asian-Pacific Islander young adults ages 18 to 34 in February is 5 percent (not seasonally adjusted), down from 6 percent in January.

• The unemployment rate for white young adults ages 18 to 34 in February is 6.7 percent (not seasonally adjusted), down from 7.1 percent in January.

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