Economy

Black unemployment rate falls to 5.9%, ties record low hit earlier this year

Key Points
  • The employment picture for black Americans is better than it ever has been.
  • According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in November, tying a record low hit in May.
  • Compared to other major demographics, blacks still have the highest rate of unemployment in the U.S.
Job seekers wait in line to speak with representative during the TechFair LA career fair in Los Angeles.
Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The employment picture for black Americans is better than ever.

On Friday, the rate of unemployed Africans Americans in the United States fell 0.3 percent to 5.9 percent, a tying a new record low reached in May.

A better unemployment rate doesn't tell the whole story though. The demographic still lags behind the national unemployment rate, which remained unchanged in November at 3.7 percent.

Compared to other demographics, blacks in America still have the highest rate of joblessness, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report out Friday.

The unemployment rates for adult men is 3.3 percent and 3.4 percent for adult men and women, respectively. Whites have a 3.4 percent unemployment, the rate for Asians is 2.7 percent, while Hispanics have a 4.5 percent rate.

Source:  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Overall job growth slowed down last month, amid fears that economic growth is losing steam. The U.S. economy added 155,000 jobs in November, expectations of 198,000 jobs expected by economists polled by Dow Jones. Average hourly earnings also fell short of expectations.

A different gauge, sometimes called the "real unemployment rate" and includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons, rose from 7.4 percent to 7.6 percent in November.