What the jobs report reveals about US population

U.S. employers added 96,000 jobs in August, a tepid figure that points to the economy’s persistent weakness and ruined hopes that hiring might pick up.
The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in July. But that was only because more people gave up looking for work and therefore weren’t counted in the government’s calculation.
Sluggish hiring has affected different groups in different ways. Here are some details from the government’s report:
Unemployment rate by group:
(Numbers in percentages) Aug. 2012 July 2012 Aug. 2011
White: 7.2 7.4 7.9
Black: 14.1 14.1 16.7
Hispanic: 10.2 10.3 11.3
Asian: 5.9 6.2 7.1
Adult men: 7.6 7.7 8.8
Adult women: 7.3 7.5 7.9
Teenagers: 24.6 23.8 25.3
20-24 years old: 13.9 13.5 14.7
25-54 years old: 7.1 7.2 8.1
55 and over: 5.9 6.2 6.6
Veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan: 10.9 8.9 9.8
No high school diploma: 12 12.7 14.1
High school graduate: 8.8 8.7 9.5
Some college: 6.6 7.1 8.2
College graduates: 4.1 4.1 4.3
Duration of Unemployment:
Average length (weeks): 39.2 38.8 40.3
Jobless 6 months or more (pct.): 40 40.7 43.1
not seasonally adjusted
Source: Labor Department
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