 |
 |
 |
|
Almost half of Black men in New York unemployed
By: Jamal E. Watson
Milwaukee Courier
Originally posted 3/5/2004
NEW YORK (NNPA)--The unemployment rate for Black men in New York City has hit a new low. Nearly one-half of African American men living in the city are jobless, according to a new study released this week.
In the report, “A Crisis in Black Male Employment: Unemployment and Joblessness in New York City, 2003,” the Community Service Society (CSS) of New York reveals that unemployment rose among Black men during the nation’s recent recession and that only 51.8 percent of Black men between the ages of 16 through 64 were employed.
According to the nonprofit organization, this is a dramatic decline of 12.2 percentage points from 2000.
“When one looks at the sharp decline in Black male job-holding in a broader context, you have to wonder whether it is only a symptom of the recession. It may reflect long-term structural changes in the labor market that disadvantage Black men.”
Jimmy Green, 43, is one of those New Yorkers who is not only unemployed but homeless. For years he’s tried time after time to gain meaningful employment, but when he tells employers about his troubled past, he’s always turned away.
Three years ago, Green was released from prison after serving a five-year sentence for possession of drugs. He wants to start a new life and put the demons behind him, but no one, it seems, will give him a chance.
“We got to reform this system,” he said, as he dangled an empty hat toward the subway commuters who pass him in Midtown, hoping that they will give him some change. “I ain’t a lazy person, but how can you expect people to start their lives over when no one is willing to give them a chance?”
In 2000, there were 791,600 Black men in prison. With some of those men now out and searching for jobs, prospects for gaining meaningful employment seem dismal.
“This report raises troubling, urgent questions that cannot be ignored,” said David R. Jones, president of CSS. “Joblessness of this magnitude harms individuals, destroys families, and is corrosive to communities, but ultimately diminishes opportunities and creates problems for all New Yorkers. There may not be a simple solution to this problem, but that cannot be an excuse for inaction.”
While job-holding among African American women in New York rose over the last three years, the employment rate for White men compared to Black men was 23.9 percentage points higher.
Overall, the unemployment rate in New York City stood at 8.5 percent, but the numbers were higher in communities of color. Blacks constituted 12.9 percent of the unemployment rate, while Hispanics leveled out at 9.6 percent. Educational background also was a factor, with 11.2 percent of the unemployed comprised of people with less than a high school diploma.
CSS has called for major steps to remedy the disparity. They’ve called upon political leaders to convene a task force to address the high rates of unemployment, particularly in the Black community. The organization has also called for the creation of a transitional jobs program and has urged Congress to renew a federal program that would extend unemployment insurance to those facing financial difficulties.
“All this would really help people like me,” said Green, who says he’s been off drugs for the past two years. “I’m realistic. At this point in my life I don’t expect to be a lawyer or anything like that. But I can’t even get a job as a custodian. What am I suppose to do?” |
|
|
|
