Acting Labor Sec’y on Jump in Black Unemployment: ‘Trends Tell a Different Story’ — We Have ‘Equitable Growth’

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Sound On,” acting Labor Secretary Julie Su responded to the increase in the unemployment rate among African Americans in June by stating that “the trends tell a different story.” And the trends show “equitable growth and an equitable economy.”

Su said, [relevant remarks begin around 8:25] “[W]e are also very focused on what the president calls an equitable economic recovery, making sure that no community’s left behind. That’s his whole vision of building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up. And by many indicators, black workers have been at the bottom or left out, whether it’s good jobs, whether it’s wages, whether it’s wealth. And so, it’s very, very important for us to stay focused on equity. I will say here, again, the trends tell a different story. All of — the unemployment rate for all communities is at historic lows, that does include African Americans. And the gap between the white unemployment rate and the black unemployment rate is also low, same for the gap between white unemployment and Latino, white employment and Asian. And so, we know there’s more work to do and we’re going to keep on doing it. But overall, the trends indicate, still, not just strong recovery, but equitable growth and an equitable economy.”

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