Black Unemployment Persists at High Levels

0:00It's April 3rd. Welcome to Durham News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. The US economy added 178,000 jobs in March, beating expectations and dropping the national unemployment rate to 4.3%. But those solid numbers hide a tough reality for black workers, where the jobless rate sits at 7.1%, nearly double to 3.6% for white workers. Black unemployment has stayed stubbornly high this year, climbing from 7.3% in January to 7.7% in February. Before easing a bit last month, Hispanic workers face 4.8%, while adult women are at 4%, showing clear gaps across the board. Take Adrian Hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She lost her Amazon job five months back and now hustles with four side gigs, babysitting, tarot. Readings, tax prep, and a home juice business. She spired off over 50 applications online and in person, but keeps hearing she's not the pick despite her skills.

1:03Experts like Gerald Cohen from UNC Keenan Flagler say these disparities stem from weaker professional networks, education differences, and the types of. Jobs available in certain communities, patterns that widen during slowdowns. Hall's gigs don't match her old paycheck, so she's leading on family amid rising prices, holding out for that breakthrough offer while the job. Markets uneven recovery plays out.