Asian American employment slow to recover

More and more Asian Americans continue to go jobless as the pandemic enters its second year.

Overall, more Americans found work to lower the jobless rate to 6.3% from last month's 6.7%. However, Asian American unemployment rate failed to go down, rising  to 6.6% last month, according the January employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A year ago, Asian Americans had the lowest jobless rate at 2.8%. Last month's jobless report speaks to depth the coronavirus affected all Americans.

Experts expected a better showing because the Department of Labor reported that more Asian Americans found employment in December.

DOL data found that AsianAmericans stayed jobless longer -- more than 27 weeks in 2020's final quarter, longer than White, Black or Hispanic Americans. 

Three states had unemployment rates above 10.0% in November 2020: New Jersey at 10.2% and Hawaii and Nevada at 10.1% each. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that these same states have high numbers of AAPI living within its borders.

The data was surprising because Asian workers saw a significant improvement in employment in December. This group has been jobless for longer. Nearly half of unemployed Asian Americans had been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer in the fourth quarter of 2020, a bigger share than White, Black or Hispanic Americans. 

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates declined over the month for adult men (6.0%), adult women (6.0%t), Whites (5.7%), and Hispanics (8.6 %). The jobless rates changed little for teenagers (14.8 %), Blacks (9.2%), and Asians (6.6%). 

Three states had unemployment rates above 10.0% in November 2020: New Jersey at 10.2% and Hawaii and Nevada at 10.1% each. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that these same states have high numbers of AAPI living within its borders.

A third of all Asian Americans live in hard hit California, which is just coming out of its strictest anti-COVID measures that included a ban on indoor personal services or restaurant dining, indoors and outdoors.

As the labor market struggles to recover from the pandemic, job losses have disproportionately hit minority workers and women. Many Asian Americans live in industries hit hardest by the health measures, food service, nail salons, retail and hospitality. 

Although Black unemployment rate fell to 9.2% last month, the jobless rate remains significant higher than all other race groups tracked. Although more women were employed in January than the prior month, the size of the labor force also shrunk as women continue to drop out amid widespread school and day care closures.