by Bethany Blankley
Minorities have made historic economic gains under President Donald Trump, an analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reveals.
“For the first time, most new working-age hires in the U.S. are people of color,” the Washington Post reported of the findings.
Since 2016, more than 4.5 million minorities have been hired due to the Trump economy – accounting for 86 percent of all jobs added since the 2016 Election, the data finds. Minority hires between the ages of 25 and 54, considered “prime working age,” exceeded the number of white hires.
According to DOL data, more than 762,000 young blacks held jobs in July 2019 – the highest on record ever. Hispanic unemployment was also at its lowest level ever reported, consistently hitting below 4.6 percent.
“For the first time, most new working-age hires in the United States are people of color,” the House Ways and Means Committee stated. “This surge, especially with minority women getting jobs, has helped push the American workforce across a historic threshold.”
By October, unemployment figures dropped further, to their lowest levels since 1969, according to U.S. Department of Labor.
In the third quarter of 2019, 73.7 percent of workers who were counted as newly employed were previously employed elsewhere, instead of coming off of unemployment into the labor force, the highest share on record since 1990.
Overall, the gap between white and black unemployment narrowed to its smallest on record in 2019. Historically, the unemployment ratio between black and white unemployment has averaged at a rate of 2 to 1, or black unemployment averaged twice that of white unemployment.
According to an analysis by the National Council of State Legislators, October unemployment rates were lower in four states, higher in two states, and stable in 44 states and the District of Columbia.
Eight states saw jobless rate decreases since 2018, three states saw increases, and 39 states and the District reported little or no changes over the same time period.
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Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square.
