Pew Hispanic Center: Unemployment among Latinos is up to 7.3%

Unemployment among Latinos and particularly Latino immigrants jumped in the last year, according to a report released today by the Pew Hispanic Center. For a story on the report, click here.

According to the report, the latest economic slowdown has had a disproportionate impact on Latino workers. From an historic low in late 2006, the unemployment rate for Latinos rose sharply in 2007 and currently stands well above the rate for non-Latinos. Immigrant Hispanics, especially Mexican and recent arrivals, have been hurt the most by the slump in the construction industry. Weekly earnings for most groups of Hispanic workers also slipped backward last year. There are no signs Latino immigrants are leaving the U.S. labor market but they now play a smaller role in the growth of the Hispanic workforce than in recent years.

KJ