WASHINGTON (AP) _ Good news for parents: Millennials in their early 20s found work in January.
The unemployment rate for workers ages 20 to 24 dropped more than a full percentage point to 8.2 percent last month. That’s the lowest level since June 2007 and a vast improvement over the double-digit jobless rates that stretched from the Great Recession through 2014.
Men have some catching up to do, though: While the unemployment rate for women in their early 20s was 7.3 percent, the rate for men in the same age range was notably higher at 9 percent.
Unemployment rates also fell for Latinos and Asians. Rates rose slightly for Black Americans, seniors and those without high school diplomas.
Overall, U.S. employers added 151,000 jobs last month, a deceleration from recent months. The overall unemployment rate dipped to 4.9 percent from 5 percent.
The data for various demographic groups came from a survey of households that is part of the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
Unemployment rate by group: (Numbers in percentages) January 2016 December 2015 January 2015 White 4.3 4.5 4.9 Black 8.8 8.3 10.3 Asian* 3.7 4.0 4.0 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity** 5.9 6.3 6.7 Adult men 4.5 4.7 5.3 Adult women 4.5 4.4 5.0 Teenagers 16.0 16.1 18.9 20-24 years old 8.2 9.4 9.7 25-54 years old 4.2 4.3 4.8 55 and over 3.7 3.2 4.2 Veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan* 5.7 5.7 7.9 No high school diploma 7.4 6.7 8.6 High school graduate 5.3 5.6 5.4 Some college 4.2 4.1 5.2 College graduate 2.5 2.5 2.8 Duration of Unemployment: Average length (weeks) 28.9 27.6 32.0 Jobless 6 months or more (pct.) 26.9 26.3 31.3 * Not seasonally adjusted **Includes all races Source: Labor Department
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