Unemployment rate among Black Americans jumps in March [Video]

The unemployment rate among Black Americans jumped in March, according to data released Friday by the Department of Labor.

Black unemployment rose to 6.4% last month, up from 5.6% in February. That’s higher than the overall unemployment rate, which edged lower to 3.8% last month, as well as the 3.4% jobless rate for white Americans, which held steady from February.

When accounting for gender, the unemployment rate for Black women aged 20 or older spiked to 5.6%, a big increase from the 4.4% rate in February. Black men’s jobless rates climbed slightly higher to 6.2% from 6.1%.

“That’s a concerning trend,” said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

Gould pointed out that the unemployment rate for Black Americans has been steadily increasing since December. “I would say it’s not alarming yet, but I think it’s something that we really need to watch in coming months,” she added.

While March’s increase was primarily driven by the surge …