The unemployment rate for Hispanics and Latinos improved for the fifth consecutive month in September as the nation’s businesses continued reopening from the coronavirus-prompted shutdown.
The 10.3% national, seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for Hispanics and Latinos in August fell by 0.2 percentage points from August’s 10.5% level and 8.6 points from the record-high of 18.9% set in April, but remained well above March’s 6.0% mark.
September’s unemployment rate drop was the result of fewer Hispanics participating in the workforce, as their workforce participation rate fell from 65.3% to 64.9%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. BLS began tracking Hispanic-Latino employment data in 1973.
Hispanic-Latino employment statistics for September 2020:
- Unemployment rate: 10.3%, DOWN from 10.5% in August
- Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population (16+ years old): 44,388,000 UP from 44,300,000 in August
- Number Participating in Labor Force: 28,798,000 DOWN from 28,925,000 in August
- Labor Force Participation Rate: 64.9% DOWN from 65.3% in August
- Number Employed: 25,834,000 DOWN from 25,886,000 in August
- Number Unemployed: 2,964,000 DOWN from 3,040,000 in August
A Pew Research Center poll conducted July 27-August 2, 2020 finds that the economy is the most important issue influencing how Hispanics will vote in November, with eight in ten declaring it the top issue this election season.