NCLR: The Economic and Employment Status of Latinos.

The nation’s economy remains weak and the outlook for economic recovery is uncertain. The nation’s overall unemployment rate (5.9% in June 2002) remains more than a full percentage point higher than this time last year. In particular, many Latinos have been hit hard during the recession. In spite of high labor force participation, many Latino workers are concentrated in the low-skill sector of the labor market. While the median weekly earnings of all workers are $597, the jobs in this sector which employ many Latinos often offer low wages and few, if any, benefits. The industries with large proportions of Latino workers tend to be particularly vulnerable to unemployment during these uncertain economic times. As a result, Latino workers continue to have higher unemployment rates and lower weekly earnings than other groups, which make it difficult for many Latino families to stay out of poverty.

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