Report finds lowest unemployment rate for Hispanics, Latinos
Jan 7, 2019, 4:40 AM | Updated: 7:45 am
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
PHOENIX — New federal numbers show the lowest unemployment rate on record for Hispanics and Latinos.
Nationwide, December’s rate dropped to 4.3 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“That’s a third of what it was in 2010, and its 0.6 percent lower than it was in December of 2017,” Phoenix economist Elliott Pollack said.
He credits a robust economy for lifting prospects for all ethnic groups and plenty of jobs regardless of education levels.
“Production jobs, jobs in tourism and leisure and hospitality, jobs in construction,” Pollack cited. “There’s a shortage of people who have that type of skill at the moment.
“There are 7 million unfilled jobs in the U.S. So, if you don’t have a job at this point in time, you’re just not looking very hard.”
Pollack said he believes Arizona’s jobs picture for Hispanics and Latinos matches, or surpasses, the national one.