Monthly Latino Employment Report Underemployment The Real Jobs Crisis
Although the national unemployment rate held steady at 8% at the end of 2012, it masked the full picture of the nation’s jobs crisis. Millions of Americans continue to be underemployed, a term used to describe people who are employed but would like more work, are not in the labor force but want and are available to work, or are unemployed, meaning they are actively seeking employment but cannot find a job. While the number of underemployed people steadily decreased over 2012, data show that underemployment is more concentrated among Latino and Black workers, resulting in less stability for the populations hit hardest by the Great Recession.