The New York Times reported Friday morning that African American workers are seeing their wages rise for the first time after a “decade of stagnation,” further evidence of the strength of the U.S. economy.
The Times report came as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy created 225,000 new jobs in January, smashing expectations. Unemployment ticked upward to 3.6% — but that was due to more workers entering the labor force, generating the highest labor force participation rate thus far in the recovery from the Great Recession. Average hourly wage gains also rose slightly year-on-year, to 3.1%.
Black unemployment is near all-time lows, and now wages are climbing, the Times reported Friday:
President Trump frequently celebrates the experience of black workers, noting correctly that the group’s unemployment rate is at its lowest on record.
Their wages are also going up — a New York Times analysis of government data found that wage growth for black workers has accelerated recently after lagging for much of the decade-long economic expansion.
The Times notes that black workers still face challenges, such as the rising cost of living in urban areas. It adds: “Not only did the gains take a decade of steady job growth to materialize, but they could evaporate at the first sign of economic weakness, as they did after previous expansions.” Read the full article here.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.