Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

America's unemployment problem is much worse than it seems

America's unemployment problem is much worse than it seems

The national unemployment rate is masking how much some groups are still struggling in the pandemic economy. That's why the Federal Reserve looks at more than just the average jobless numbers to determine the nation's economic health.
"When we say maximum employment is a broad and inclusive goal, we don't only look at the headline numbers," Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in his semi-annual testimony to the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.

Some groups are bearing the brunt of the pandemic fallout, facing unemployment rates still higher than the national average, Powell told the committee.

Although the national jobless rate dropped to 6.3% in January, unemployment is much lower for White workers — at 5.7% — than for other groups: The Black unemployment rate was 9.2% in January, and the Hispanic jobless rate was 8.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The jobless rate for women over the age of 20 is the same as that for men: 6%. But this too doesn't tell the whole story. The pandemic has forced some women to drop out of the workforce to take on family care responsibilities, and they aren't counted in the unemployment rate.

Meanwhile, of the 140,000 jobs lost in the US in December, all were held by women.

Powell said he hoped these effects would be temporary, adding that it limited these workers' ability to fully contribute to the economy.

At the end of the day, "policies that bring the pandemic to an end would help," he said.

Senator Pat Toomey, the ranking member of the committee, said at the hearing's start that he would prefer that the Fed did not stray from its core objectives of price stability and full employment to focus on racial inequality and climate change.

And while Powell acknowledged that fiscal policy, and not the blunt tools of monetary policy, are more appropriate to target issues of inequality, he continued to stress that added support for some groups is still necessary.

"The economic recovery remains uneven and far from complete, and the path ahead is highly uncertain," Powell said in his prepared remarks to the committee.

"The single best thing [the Fed] can do about that is to keep monetary policy accommodative," he told the senators.

The Fed has repeatedly signaled that it won't raise interest rates as the unemployment situation remains grave and inflation is nowhere near its target of around 2%. But inflationary pressures could mount as the economy reopens fully this year. This expectation led to a rise in Treasury bond yields in recent days, which in turn caused some wobbles in the stock market. Bond prices and yields move inversely to one another.

Powell will return to Capitol Hill Wednesday to testify before the House Financial Services Committee.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×