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Unemployment Report Shows Hispanics Left Behind

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Unemployment Report Shows Hispanics Left Behind
Latino Unemployment High; Workers Giving Up  

(Washington, D.C.) – According to the unemployment report for the month of April, released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy generated 288,000 jobs during the month – beating expectations. The national unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent. This drop in the overall rate however, was largely driven by the more than 800,000 people who stopped looking for work – and therefore are no longer considered unemployed. Notably, while the numbers improved slightly for those with college degrees, more workers with only a high-school education quit looking for work and fell out of the labor force.  

The numbers for Latinos were worse across the board. The overall Hispanic unemployment rate is much higher than for all workers – at 7.3 percent. The percentage of Hispanics either working or looking for work fell – suggesting that more people are giving up on finding work. The number of Latinos forced to accept part-time jobs when they would prefer full-time work barely moved, and currently stands above 1.5 million. 

Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative released, the following statement:  

"For years there's been a disconnect between the economy Washington talks about and the economy that working families deal with on a day-to-day basis. It's on display again today, as the administration talks about an improving economy, while hundreds of thousands give up on finding work entirely. Washington is out of touch, and the policies put in place in recent years just aren't working – and no one is getting more hurt by it than America's middle class. 

Working families are crying out for economic opportunity. Latinos, young people, low-skilled workers – they are all being left behind by a 'recovery' that leaves them with stagnant wages and no good options. It's time to curb excess spending, limit counterproductive regulation, and focus on reforms that will let entrepreneurs invest and hire. The answers won't come from Washington – but it is time for Washington to stop holding the economy back." 

For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact: Brian Faughnan, 703-678-4581 or Steven Cruz, 202-578-6173.

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