The raw statistics from a Bureau of Labor Employment Situation Survey show that racial discrimination is possible by exposing the unemployment rates. The rate of unemployment at the time of the survey was 8.8 percent for white workers and 15.0 percent for those of African American heritage. The rate for those with a Latino or Hispanic background was 12.7 percent.
Now, people may claim this doesn’t show racism by pointing to other factors, like education levels. For example, the rate for teenagers was 25.1 percent, but it’s fair to note that many teens do not work since they live at home and are still in school, making a career impossible. People will sometimes look to things like college degrees to deny that racial discrimination is in play, saying that everyone with a degree would have the same chance at getting a job.
However, the stats show that this is absolutely not true. Not only are African American workers roughly twice as likely as white workers to not have a job, but degrees don’t change that. When looking at men who were 25 years old or older and who had college degrees, the unemployment rate for white workers was 4.4 percent, while the rate for African American workers was 8.4 percent.
This doesn’t mean a degree doesn’t help, as both rates are lower, but the unemployment rate is still twice as high for African Americans, backing up the earlier suggestion that many are simply not hired based on racial discrimination.
Discrimination in the workplace is illegal, but these studies show how common it is. Those whose rights have been violated need to know what options they have.
Source: Young Money, “Workplace Discrimination: Who Is Suffering?,” Emily Torres, accessed May 03, 2017