More Jobs for Young Black Men: What Will It Take?

When the next employment report is released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in early September, one thing is certain: employment rates among young minorities will still be shockingly low. In the most recent report, the unemployment rate among black teens stood at 37 percent - more than double the rate for white teens. The percent of the black teen population employed was just 20 percent. At least partly, these numbers reflect a weak job market. But even in strong economic times, the jobless rates among young black men are disturbing. In the 1990s, employment grew strongly among young black women -- due in part to welfare reform, the strong economy, and a range of new benefits for single working mothers. Yet employment rates for young black men continued their long slide downward. Low employment among young black men is very costly -- to themselves, to their families and children, and to the nation as a whole. What causes high joblessness among blacks? Their schooling is weak, and the labor market places more value than it used to on reading and math skills. The blue-collar jobs that always paid well for less-skilled men are disappearing, and those that remain pay less than they used to. While less-skilled Hispanics also face this problem, employers seem more willing to hire them -- especially those who are immigrants. Informal job networks remain strong in immigrant communities but have shrunk in low-income black neighborhoods as fewer and fewer men work. Also, suburban areas with strong job growth are out of reach to many of those living in poor black neighborhoods, due to transportation problems and lack of connections. [more ]