Depending on the source, some 10 million to 12 million Americans will lose unemployment benefits today. While it is impossible to determine the exact makeup of this group based on age, sex, or race, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Summary for November, which showed 10.7 million Americans unemployed persons offers strong clues.
The weakness of the comparison with the BLS November data is that the 10.7 million does not match exactly with long-term unemployed statistics. These long-term unemployed have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer, representing 37% of the total, or 3.9 million persons. People who became unemployed in the last three months do not face a risk of loss of benefits until early next year, and then, only if there is no legislation extending benefits.
However, the range of the unemployed population does not change a great deal over time. Unemployment rates among Whites are well below those of people of color. But, because the total number of White Americans outnumbers any other race, the total count of white people is high. Black American unemployment rates are often nearly twice the White number. So, on a raw count basis, Black unemployment is extraordinarily high compared to the figure for Whites.
Much of the comparison between Whites and Blacks also applies to Hispanics. The November unemployment rate nationwide was 6.7%. It was 5.9% among Whites, 10.3% among Blacks, and 8.4% among Hispanics.
On a total count basis, there were 7.359 White Americans out of work in November. The number of Black Americans out of work was 2.078 million. Among Hispanics, the count was 2.451 million. Between Blacks and Hispanics, the total number of unemployed was 4.493. That figure is 38% of the total.
As the new year starts, the long-term unemployed people in this population will lose protection from eviction, have no money for food or medical care …all in the midst of the greatest public health crisis our nation has faced. This is how Trump Scrooged Americans. Merry Christmas 2020.
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