Jobless on Labor Day - at least 1.3 Million Latinos Unemployed

Although the overall unemployment rate in the U.S. went down slightly in August, for Hispanics the news was not good. The unemployment rate among Hispanics, already significantly higher than the national average, went up in August, from 6.8 to 6.9. That means that today, Labor Day, 1.3 million Latinos are looking for a job. The Bush administration and most news reports emphasized the slight drop in total unemployment, along with the addition of 144,000 new jobs in August. But to keep up with the growth in the adult population, the nation must generate about 150,000 new jobs a month. U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, a Democrat from Texas, says unemployment among Hispanics has grown 19 percent since George W. Bush took office in January 2001. And Hispanics are not the only segment of the population that is hurting. Among blacks, the unemployment rate went down in August but still is alarmingly high at 10.4 percent. Worst of all, the nation still has at least 1 million fewer jobs now than it did when Bush took office. Meanwhile prices for health care, gas, groceries and other expenses keep going up. What remains to be seen is how the poor numbers we see for Hispanics on this Labor Day will affect the numbers the presidential candidates get on Election Day. [more ]