The number of Hispanics and Latinos employed set a record high in August as their national, seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate matched its record low of 4.2%, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday show.
In August, the unemployment rate for Hispanics and Latinos, aged 16 and up, was 4.2%, down from 4.5% in July, returning to the record low of 4.2% in April and May – which broke the record low of 4.3% set two months earlier in February. BLS began tracking Hispanic-Latino employment data in 1973.
285,000 more Hispanics had jobs in August, as the 27,866,000 employed broke the record for Hispanic employment of 27,701,000 set in December 2018. The number of Hispanics participating in the workplace rose in August, as did Hispanics' labor force participation rate, which increased from 66.4% to 66.7%.
The number of unemployed Hispanics fell by 98,000 to 1,216,000, down from 1,314,000 in July.
Hispanic-Latino employment statistics for August 2019:
- Unemployment rate: 4.2%, down from 4.5% in July
- Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population (16+ years old): 43,630,000, up from 43,537,000 in July
- Number Participating in Labor Force: 29,082,000, up from 28,896,000 in July
- Labor Force Participation: 66.7%, up from 66.4% in July
- Number Employed: from 27,866,000, up 27,581,000 in July
- Number Unemployed: 1,216,000, down from 1,314,000 in July
