Nationwide — Since taking over the White House, President Donald Trump has had a lot to say about Black unemployment rates in the country. Some of what he has said has been true, some of it has been completely false, and some of it was true at one point but has since changed.Here are 6 factors to consider about Trump’s claims about Black unemployment:
#1 – During Obama’s last month in office in January 2017, the Black unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. When Trump took office, he says that number dropped to 6.6 percent by July 2017. The Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed this. So, this was true.
#2 – In 2018, Trump tried to completely discredit former President Obama by saying that the economy added only 195,000 jobs for African-Americans under Obama’s administration. However, according to The New York Times, during Obama’s 8 years in office, he added about three million jobs. So, this was a lie.
#3 – In 2018, Trump’s White House Secretary, Sarah Sanders, said that had so far added 700,000 new jobs had been created for African Americans during his administration. This was true.
#4 – Trump has claimed that under his administration, Black unemployment has been at “the lowest in the history of our country”. However, a different data set from the Labor Department that goes back to 1947 shows that the annual unemployment rate for “negro and other races” went as low as 4.5 percent in 1953. That means his claim was a lie.
#5 – Trump’s administration said that the 2018 yearly average unemployment rate of 6.5 percent for African Americans, but according to The Washington Post, from February 2018 to February 2019, the Black unemployment rate actually rose — from 6.8 percent to 7 percent. So, this was a lie.
#6 – Trump’s administration often brags and presents the 7% Black unemployment rate as if this is good news, but it’s not. In comparison, the nation’s overall unemployment rate is just 3.8%. According to 24/7 Wall St, that means that Black unemployment is 86% above the national average. It is also 112% higher than the rate among white Americans, and 125% above the rate for Asian Americans. This means that overall the unemployment rate for Blacks under Obama’s administration versus the rate under Trump’s administration is about the same. So, this would be another lie or at least a form of deception.
What’s being done in response:
As a result of continued high unemployment in Black communities, several community-based organizations in various cities have been active trying to stimulate more Black entrepreneurship. They are also helping more African American students to qualify for college admission.
In addition, popular web sites like BlackJobs.com have stepped up their marketing efforts to help African American job seekers find well-paying jobs. Such web sites also help employers dedicated to diversity hiring post their job openings and hire qualified job candidates.
SOURCE: BlackJobs.com