Trump and the Low Latino Unemployment Rate
NiLPnote: When the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued their latest employment report, it was widely reported in the media and touted by Ivanka Trump herself that the Latino unemployment rate in November, 4.7 percent, was the lowest since this statistic began to be calculated in 1973. In the article below, which has been circulating in conservative media, this statistic is promoted as evidence that Trump policies are already benefitting Latinos.
The problem, of course, that this low Latino employment rate is still higher than that of Whites (3.6 percent) and probably the artifact of the demand for the cheap labor provided by undocumented workers made scarcer due to his immigration policies and a largely racially discriminatory labor market. Despite a higher labor force participation (66 percent) than that of Whites and Blacks, the per capita income for Latinos is around $18,389 compared to $34,154 for Whites. And, at 22 percent, the Latino poverty rate is double the 11 percent for Whites.
It is, therefore, important to put these unemployment statistics in some context. This includes the fact that any positive developments in the country’s economy this year can be reasonably attributed to Obama policies and are too early for Trump to claim as solely his own. Does the uemployment rate tell the whole story about a community’s well-being? No it doesn’t, and it is certainly too soon for the Trump Administration to tout these statistics as evidence of the great success of his economic policies. Let’s see how things go next year and the next.
—Angelo Falcón
As CNN beats Trump’s
a ‘racist’ war drums,
a funny thing happened
to black and Hispanic jobless rates
By Luis Miguel
BizPAC Review (December 22, 2017)
The left-wing media has the “Trump is a racist” track stuck on replay.
CNN is among the news outlets leading the charge, with constant headlines suggesting President Trump represents racism, discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, xenophobia, and other negatives.
CNN’s writers laid racism charges against the president for everything from his judicial picks …
… to his tweets.
But statistics measuring the effects of the president’s policies on minorities paint a different picture.
It turns out blacks and Hispanics are doing better under President Trump.
Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployment among Hispanics dropped significantly from this time last year.
In one year, unemployment for Hispanics went down from 5.6 to 4.7 percent.
Blacks also saw improvement. Under Obama, black unemployment was at 7.8 percent. That figure went down to 7.3 percent under President Trump.
Black labor force participation rose from 61.9 percent to 62.2 percent.
The overall unemployment rate sank to 4.1 percent-a 17-year low.
Daniel Garza, president of the conservative Hispanic libre initiative, credited President Trump’s regulation cutting and support of tax cuts for the better employment situation among minorities.
“The Hispanic community is beginning to see the benefits of an improving economy,” Garza told the Daily Signal. He went on to say:
“By locking these reforms in place for the long term, Congress and the president will help to ensure a stable environment that encourages greater economic opportunity and wage growth.
“Reducing the tax rate on American businesses to 20 percent-without creating new tax burdens-will be particularly helpful in ensuring the U.S. economy is competitive with those of our major trading partners, boosting the prospects of American workers and families.
“Hispanic families stand to gain a great deal if lawmakers deliver on these promises in the days ahead.”
Growing employment among all Americans stands as a major in the first year of the Trump presidency.