It’s also possible that the recent reversal is short-lived, and that black unemployment soon will continue its longer-term decline. As it happens, the reasons for the uptick in black unemployment are hard to pinpoint. It doesn’t appear to result from a surge of black workers into the job market, a phenomenon that can push the unemployment rate temporarily higher. The black participation rate — the share of eligible workers in the workforce, was 62.5% in October, and 62.5% in April.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 21, 2019 13:13 UTC