Trump’s boasts ring hollow in some black communities

PHILADELPHIA – One of President Donald Trump’s favourite talking points in promoting his administration’s success is the record low rate of black unemployment.

But in some black communities, that victory seems hollow.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for black Americans in September was 6 per cent. That’s down from a high of 21.2 per cent in January 1983, but is still nearly double the overall national unemployment rate of 3.7 per cent. The unemployment rate belies the on-the-ground reality for many African-Americans.

That’s partly because African-Americans are still disproportionately toiling in lower-quality jobs. Black people make up roughly one-fifth of those working in temporary jobs, a figure that hasn’t changed much in the past five years, even as the economy has improved.