KEY POINTS

• Both the rate of unemployment for all Black people and for women specifically are at their lowest levels in more than a year.
• January’s drop in Black unemployment was propelled by gains made by Black women.
• A tight labor market may be playing a role.

A decrease in the unemployment rate of Black women is heartening, but labor experts warn that the trend shouldn’t create any false notions about equity in the workforce.

The unemployment rate for the entire Black population has avoided ticking up since August, coming in at 5.4% in January, according to seasonally adjusted data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday.

January’s drop in Black unemployment was propelled by gains made by Black women, whose unemployment rate excluding teenagers dropped to 4.7% in January from 5.5% in December. Black men, by comparison, saw unemployment tick up to 5.3% in January from 5.1% in December. Click here to read full article