Monthly Labor Review June 2004 69

A visual essay:

Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics

in the civilian labor force

• Labor market problems

Blacks were more likely to experience

long-term unemployment

• Labor force participation

A greater percentage of Hispanics

were either working or looking for work

• Mothers in the labor force

For mothers with children under 18 years old,

blacks were more likely to be in the labor force

• Employment ratios

Employment-population ratios for blacks

continue to be lower

• Managerial and professional employment

Blacks and Hispanics are still less likely

to hold these types of jobs

• Unemployment

Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately represented

• Duration of job search

Average duration of unemployment

for jobless Hispanics was much shorter

• Educational attainment

Hispanic workers are far less likely

to have completed high school

• Weekly earnings

Earnings of full-time workers

were higher for Asians
A Visual Essay

70 Monthly Labor Review June 2004

1. Selected labor force characteristics of black or African-American workers

2. Selected labor force characteristics of Asian workers

In 2003,

Asians were:

4 percent

of the labor force

3 percent of those

working part time

for economic reasons

4 percent

of the unemployed

5 percent

of the long-term

unemployed

6 percent

of marginally

attached workers

Percent

Percent

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

• Although blacks made up just

12 percent of the U.S. labor

force in 2003, they were more

likely than other groups to experience labor market problems. For instance, they accounted for 20 percent of the

unemployed and 24 percent of

the long-term unemployed

(persons unemployed for 15

weeks or longer).

• Also, blacks were a disproportionate share of the marginally

attached—persons who were

available for work and had

searched for work during the

prior 12 months but who were

not currently looking for work.

In 2003, blacks

or African Americans

were:

Percent

Percent

12 percent

of the labor force

14 percent of those

working part time

for economic reasons

20 percent

of the unemployed

24 percent

of the long-term

unemployed

21 percent

of marginally

attached workers

• Asians made up about 4 percent of the labor force, and

similar proportions of the unemployed and other categories of persons experiencing

various kinds of labor market

difficulty.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Monthly Labor Review June 2004 71

3. Selected labor force characteristics of Hispanic or Latino workers

Percent Percent

• In 2003, the labor force participation rate—the percent of

persons 16 years and older

who are working or looking for

work—was 64.3 percent for

blacks; this compares with

68.3 percent of all Hispanics or

Latinos. The rates for whites

and Asians were 66.5 and 66.4

percent, respectively.

4. Blacks or African Americans continue to be less likely to participate in the

 labor force than whites, Asians, and Hispanics or Latinos

NOTE: Beginning in 2003, data by race include persons who selected that specific group only. Prior to 2003,

persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they identified as their main race. Persons

of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are those who specifically identified themselves as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. In

addition, persons whose ethnicity are identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified

by ethnicity as well as race. Data by Hispanic or Latino origin for 2003 also are not strictly comparable with data

for prior years.

In 2003,

Hispanics or Latinos

were:

13 percent

of the labor force

22 percent of those

working part time

for economic reasons

16 percent

of the unemployed

14 percent

of the long-term

unemployed

15 percent

of marginally

attached workers

Percent

Percent

• Hispanics or Latinos accounted for 13 percent of the

labor force. Hispanics or

Latinos were disproportionately likely to work part time

for economic reasons; they

generally are somewhat less

likely to experience labor market difficulties than blacks.

For example, Hispanic or

Latino workers accounted for

14 percent of the long-term unemployed (persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer) in

2003, just more than half the

proportion accounted for by

blacks.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Whites

Hispanics

Asians

Blacks

1990 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03

56

60

64

68

72

56

60

64

68

72
A Visual Essay

72 Monthly Labor Review June 2004

5. Black or African-American mothers have the highest labor force

 participation rates

Age of youngest child

77.5

61.2

70.3

67.0

82.1

69.4

77.3

74.3 71.8

53.4

61.5 58.5

67.0

47.9

57.8

55.1

• In 2003, as in the past, black

mothers with children under 18

years were more likely than

white mothers to be in the labor force—78 percent compared with 70 percent. In contrast, Hispanic or Latino mothers were less likely than black

or white mothers to be labor

force participants. About 67

percent of Asian mothers were

labor force participants in

2003.

Under 18 years 6 to 17 years Under 6 years Under 3 years

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Blacks

Asians

Hispanics

Whites Percent Percent

Percent Percent

• Overall, the foreign born are

more likely than the native born

to participate in the U.S. labor

force. Among non-Hispanic

blacks, non-Hispanic Asians,

and Hispanics or Latinos, the

participation rates for the foreign born were higher than for

their native-born counterparts—and in the case of

blacks, much higher. In contrast, foreign-born, non-Hispanic whites were less likely

than their native-born counterparts to be labor force participants. This is partly because

foreign-born whites are older

than are the other groups.

• Hispanics or Latinos were the

largest share of foreign-born

persons in the labor force—48.4

percent. They are followed by

non-Hispanic Asians (21.8 percent), non-Hispanic whites (20.2

percent), and non-Hispanic

blacks (8.4 percent).

6. Labor force participation rates for the foreign born tend to be higher than

 for the native born

Total White,

non-Hispanic

 or Latino

 Black,

non-Hispanic

 or Latino

 Asian,

non-Hispanic

 or Latino

Hispanic

or Latino

66.1 67.4 66.5

59.9

63.2

74.5

63.5

67.2 66.4

69.9

Table 7.

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

Native born

Foreign born

NOTE: 2003 annual averages.

NOTE: 2003 annual averages.
Monthly Labor Review June 2004 73

• Blacks and Hispanics or

Latinos are somewhat more

likely to work in managerial and

professional jobs than in the

past. Still, in 2003, they are

more likely than whites or

Asians to work in service and

production, transportation,

and material moving occupations. Hispanics or Latinos are

more likely to work in natural

resources, construction, and

maintenance occupations.

8. Blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos have made some

 in-roads into managerial and professional jobs

Percent Percent

NOTE: Beginning in 2003, data by race include persons who selected that specific group only. Prior to 2003,

persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they identified as their main race.

Persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are those who specifically identified themselves as Spanish, Hispanic, or

Latino. In addition, persons whose ethnicity are identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore,

are classified by ethnicity as well as race. Data by Hispanic or Latino origin for 2003 also are not strictly comparable with data for prior years.

Percent Percent

1990 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03

48

52

56

60

64

68

48

52

56

60

64

68

7. Blacks or African Americans are less likely to be employed than whites, 

 Asians, and Hispanics or Latinos

Whites

Hispanics

Blacks

Asians

• In 2003, the employmentpopulation ratio (the proportion of the population that is

employed) was 57.4 percent for

blacks, compared with 63.1

percent for Hispanics or

Latinos, and 63.0 percent for

whites. The rate for Asians

was 62.4 percent.

• Since 1993, the employmentpopulation ratio was up by

about 2 percentage points for

blacks and by nearly 4 percentage points for Hispanics or

Latinos, compared with a gain

of 0.3 percentage point for

whites.

• Across all race and ethnicity

groups, employment-population ratios declined following

the 2001 recession.

Blacks Asians Hispanics Whites

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Production, transportation, and material moving

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

Sales and office

Service

Managerial, professional, and related

12.3 17.0

6.9

26.3

23.1

26.6

19.7

17.4

22.0

24.0

16.8

12.6

11.0

25.9

15.0

35.5

22.5

16.0

45.2

4.0

NOTE: 2003 annual averages.
A Visual Essay

74 Monthly Labor Review June 2004

• In 2003, unemployed blacks

had spent an average of 22.7

weeks looking for work but not

finding any, while unemployed

Asians had spent 23.9 weeks

looking. The average duration

of unemployment for jobless

whites (18.0 weeks) and Hispanics or Latinos (15.9 weeks)

was much shorter.

10. Unemployed blacks or African Americans and Asians have been searching

 for jobs longer than whites and Hispanics or Latinos

Weeks Weeks

Average duration of unemployment

Blacks Asians Hispanics Whites

22.7

15.9

18.0

23.9

• The unemployment rate for

blacks generally has been at

least twice the rate for whites.

• The jobless rate for Hispanic

or Latino workers, while higher

than that for whites, is less

than that for blacks.

• The rate for Asians is slightly

higher than that for whites.

9. The unemployment rates for blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or

 Latinos have remained consistently higher than that for whites

1990 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Percent Percent

Blacks

Hispanics

Asians

Whites

NOTE: Beginning in 2003, data by race include persons who selected that specific group only. Prior to

2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they identified as their main race.

Persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are those who specifically identified themselves as Spanish, Hispanic, or

Latino. In addition, persons whose ethnicity are identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore,

are classified by ethnicity as well as race. Data by Hispanic or Latino origin for 2003 also are not strictly comparable with data for prior years.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

NOTE: 2003 annual averages.
Monthly Labor Review June 2004 75

• Education is an important predictor of labor market outcomes.

The more education a worker

has, the more likely he or she is

to be in the labor force and the

less likely to be unemployed.

• Overall, about 9 out of 10 of

both white and black workers,

age 25 and older, had at least a

high school diploma. This

compares with about 6 in 10

Hispanic or Latino workers.

• More than half of Asian workers are college graduates, compared with 33 percent of white

workers, 23 percent of blacks,

and 14 percent of Hispanics or

Latinos.

11. Hispanic or Latino workers are far less likely to have completed high 

 school than white, black or African-American, or Asian workers

NOTE: 2003 annual averages. Data are for employed persons age 25 and older.

Percent

Percent

• The unemployment rate of

blacks with a college degree

(4.5 percent) is about 9 percentage points less than the

rate for those who were high

school dropouts. By contrast,

the unemployment rate for

Hispanic or Latino college

graduates (4.1 percent) is

about 4 points below that of

Hispanic or Latino high school

dropouts.

12. Regardless of race or ethnicity, the higher the education level, the lower

 the unemployment rate

Percent

Percent

7.8

13.9

9.5

8.2

4.8

9.3

5.6

5.9

4.2

7.9

5.9

5.7

2.8

4.5

4.4

4.1

NOTE: 2003 annual averages. Data are for unemployed persons age 25 and older.

Less than a high school diploma

High school graduates, no college

Some college or associate degree

Bachelor's degree and higher

0 5 10 15 20

0 5 10 15 20

Blacks

Asians

Hispanics

Whites

Blacks

Asians

Hispanics

Whites

0 20 40 60 80 100

0 20 40 60 80 100

Less than a high school diploma

High school graduates, no college

Some college or associate degree

Bachelor's degree and higher
A Visual Essay

76 Monthly Labor Review June 2004

• Education pays regardless of

race or ethnicity. Among fulltime workers age 25 and older,

college graduates earn substantially more than do high

school graduates and more

than twice as much as high

school dropouts.

• Whites earn more than blacks

and Hispanics or Latinos at

every level of education.

14. Education pays for everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity

NOTE: 2003 annual averages. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and

salary workers age 25 years and older.

$401

$376

$369

$371

$576

$476

$485

$491

$659

$551

$576

$624

$988

$793

$799

$954

13. Earnings of blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos tend to

 be lower than those of Asians and whites, with the largest disparity among

 men

• Median weekly earnings for

wage and salary workers who

usually work full time are

higher for Asians and whites

than for blacks and Hispanics

or Latinos.

• The disparities are largest

among men, though Asian and

white women also earn considerably more than black and

Hispanic or Latino women.

$555

$464

$715

$772

$491

$410

$567

$598

Men Women

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

Blacks

Asians

Hispanics

Whites

NOTE: 2003 annual averages. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage

and salary workers.

Less than a high school diploma

High school graduates, no college

Some college or associate degree

Bachelor's degree and higher

$0 $200 $400 $600 $800 $1,000 $1,200

$0 $200 $400 $600 $800 $1,000 $1,200

Blacks

Asians

Hispanics

Whites