U.S. Jobs Record Streak: African Americans Fare Worse - Essay Sample

Introduction

Jobs have increased for the longest period in the history of the United States on a record lasting about 106 months. Surprisingly, even in this market, African Americans fare much worse is compared to their whites counterparts (Lang, Kevin & Jee 960). They typically have fewer employment opportunities than the whites and are yet to experience greater as well as more widespread economic insecurity in the long run. Notably, for the overall population of the United States of America, a whopping population of 59 percent of the African American was jobless as compared to 60 percent of the whites counterparts as per the report released in July 2019 (Lang, Kevin & Jee 980). Moreover, the stated gap is even more comprehensive, especially among those who are in the middle of their careers (25 to 55 years). By July 2019, the employed share of the whites in this group was at 80 percent as compared to 75 percent of the African Americans (Azmat & Fara 61).

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Notably, the employment opportunities, particularly for the African Americans, are not only fewer when compared to that of the whites, but those jobs also disappear at a faster rate and for a more extended period than they did for the whites (Azmat & Fara 73). The job share for the African American middle class began to rise around June 2010; however, those gains did last until early 2011. At that moment, the gap between the employed share of the prime-aged African American and that of whites was less than 10 percent, becoming the largest record since the year 1994 (Azmat & Fara 76). However, fewer employment opportunities, specifically to African Americans, reflect several troubles they do face in their labor market.

Obstacles African Americans Face in the Labor Market Today

African Americans are usually faced with several obstacles in the labor market. These factors include outright job discriminations, working in less stable occupations, living further away from where good jobs are (Ness & Immanuel 35).

Outright Job Discriminations

African Americans are frequently faced with a much higher unemployment rate than their white's counterparts. Moreover, the employment gap specifically by race is typically worse than that (Ness & Immanuel 39). Notably, the black Americans averagely search for a job much longer as compared to whites do. For instance, the six month period to adjust for the seasonal changes of the number of weeks of unemployment was 20 weeks for the whites; however, it was relatively higher at 26 weeks for the black Americans specifically in July 2019 (Ness &Immanuel 45). However, this is not something new in American history since the average length of unemployment is ever between 15 percent to 30 percent for the black American than for the white workers (Durr et al. 558). Moreover, the unemployment gap has since widened more so in the immediate wake of the great recession hence constantly remaining high since then. The job opportunities have since disappeared at a higher rate for the African Americans than for the whites, especially during and after the last recession (Durr et al565). However, the same pattern has since remained visible, especially during and after the last two recessions in the early 1990s and the year 2001, respectively (Durr et al. 570).

The "last hired, first fired" is a well-known phenomenon applied to the African Americans who are mainly suffering from more prolonged as well as deeper unemployment (Durr et al. 571). African Americans do feel an economic slowdown longer, more acutely than whites do. Moreover, this outright job discrimination is something which still going on in the United States. For instance, the average length of joblessness, especially for black Americans, has been increasing for the last few months (Krueger et al. 230). On the contrary, this has kept decreasing for whites.

African American Women Face Adverse Difficulties in the Labor Market

Since African American women are likely as compared to white counterparts to work in different environments, they often more challenges in securing a job (Krueger et al. 241). More these African Americans are constantly being paid less as compared to white males and females counterparts. However, these barriers do exist at all departments, irrespective of job group, educational background, and are motivated by systematic obstacles that are deeply rooted in gender bias and race (Krueger et al. 245).

Notably, these disparities in the employment gap have a big impact since African American women are likely as compared to white women to be the breadwinner in their respective family providing essential support (Krueger et al. 256). Also, averagely 79 percent of African American women are identified as primary or sole breadwinners, particularly for their families.

African Americans Workers Have Less Well Paying Than White Workers

According to Greer and Christina (47), black American workers have less well paid, less stable jobs with proper benefits than white employees. African American workers, for instance, merely get paid better deals as compared to white workers (Greer & Christina 53). Notably, the average weekly income for African American full-time workers was $725 from July the year 2019 to October the same year, compared with $940 for white's counterparts (Greer & Christina 59). Also, the black American workers do receive fewer benefits from their employers than whites. They also end up in employments as well as industries with poor job security, for instance, working as home gardeners (Greer & Christina 63).

African American Workers Have Less Access to Jobs

The black American workers are usually faced with challenges in regards to access to jobs as compared to the white workers (Freeman & Kassie 51). The employed share, particularly of the primed aged white and Black workers, peaked in the early 1990s. Moreover, after a decade after such recession, the African American workers are still facing more impediments as compared to the white employees more so in finding and securing jobs, hence making it harder for the African Americans to save for the future (Freeman & Kassie 58).

African American Workers Feel the Intense Impact of Recession as Compared to White Workers

According to the phenomenon, "last hired, first fired," the black American employees tend to lose their jobs from the labor market sooner, especially when the economy becomes challenging (Freeman & Kassie 61). Consequently, these African Americans do return later at a time when the economy becomes better. As a result, the average length of joblessness, especially for black Americans, has been increasing for the last few months (Hudson & Darrell et al. 34). However, this has kept decreasing for whites.

How Job Disparities Impact African Americans

As the black Americans are faced with challenges of getting a job as compared to white counterparts, they are faced with systematically increasing unemployment rates, lower pay, fewer job opportunities, greater job instability, and poor benefits specifically from their employers (Hudson & Darrell et al. 44). Notably, these disparities reflect systematic challenges in regards to the quality of jobs, for instance, occupational segregation whereby black America workers do end up in less paying jobs as compared to whites workers, outright discrimination against black Americans, and segmented labor markets whereby African Americans are less likely to get hired into the stable as well paying jobs than white workers (Hudson & Darrell et al. 49). However, these disparities in employment rates are not new in United States history. African Americans have always been facing several challenges in the labor market. For instance, black American workers often experience increasing employment rates as well as working in poor jobs, which comprise fewer benefits and low pay than the whites counterparts (Greer & Christina 561). Moreover, African American workers are found working in unstable jobs than those held by white workers. Consequently, it will take the black workers a longer period to find and secure employment as compared to white workers (Greer & Christina 64).

How to Overcome the Employment Rate Disparities in the United States

In order to close the ever-increasing labor market gaps, black American families need to acquire more wealth to start with (Murch & Donna 57). Moreover, wealth makes it easier, especially for the families, to invest heavily in their future lives. For instance, through the acquisition of wealth, it can be used effectively in starting a business, supporting both parents and children education, acquiring a house in the neighborhood, especially where accessible good jobs are, and migrating to new places when better opportunities arise (Murch & Donna 59). Notably, each of the stated benefits allows an African American family to get access to better jobs; thus, the potential of avoiding the uncertainty that comes as a result of working for somebody in low paying jobs (Murch & Donna 62).

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the United States labor market has been growing and expanding at a faster rate for a decade now, with employees from various races directly benefiting from the growth. However, as a result of this progress, it has not prevented systematic racial differences, especially in the labor market. Black Americans are still facing increasing unemployment and have less access to better jobs as compared to white counterparts. Due to these disparities in the labor markets, there is a need for African Americans to build more wealth despite the odds. This will be a better way for African Americans workers to have access to good jobs as white workers.

Works Cited

Azmat, Fara. "Opportunities or obstacles?." International journal of gender and entrepreneurship (2013).

Durr, Marlese, and Adia M. Harvey Wingfield. "Keep your 'N'in check: African American women and the interactive effects of etiquette and emotional labor." Critical Sociology 37.5 (2011): 557-571.

Dwyer, Rachel E. "The care economy? Gender, economic restructuring, and job polarization in the US labor market." American Sociological Review 78.3 (2013): 390-416.

Freeman, Kassie. African Americans and college choice: The influence of family and school. SUNY Press, 2012.

Greer, Christina M. Black ethnics: Race, immigration, and the pursuit of the American dream. Oxford University Press, 2013.

Hudson, Darrell L., et al. "Racial discrimination, John Henryism, and depression among African Americans." Journal of Black psychology 42.3 (2016): 221-243.

Krueger, Alan B., Judd Cramer, and David Cho. "Are the long-term unemployed on the margins of the labor market?." Brookings papers on economic activity 2014.1 (2014): 229-299.

Lang, Kevin, and Jee-Yeon K. Lehmann. "Racial discrimination in the labor market: Theory and empirics." Journal of Economic Literature 50.4 (2012): 959-1006.

Murch, Donna Jean. Living for the city: migration, education, and the rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California. UNC Press Books, 2010.

Ness, Immanuel. Immigrants Unions & The New Us Labor Mkt. Temple University Press, 2010.