Asian Americans Suffer Most from Long-Term Unemployment

For the past two years, Asian Americans have had the highest share of unemployed workers who were unemployed long term.

By Jorge Rivas May 25, 2012

Share of unemployed who have been unemployed 27 weeks or more, by race and ethnicity, 2010-2011 (EPI)

For the past two years, Asian Americans have had the highest share of unemployed workers who were unemployed long term (for more than half a year) when compared with white, black, and Latino workers–despite having higher education levels than these other racial/ethnic groups. The new study from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) also found highly educated Asian Americans continue to have a higher overall unemployment rate than similarly educated whites.

The new data show that 2011 was largely a continuation of the Asian American unemployment situation from 2010. 

EPI’s latest study is a supplement to the previously released "Unfairly Disadvantaged?" report that presented 2011 the most up-to-date yearly unemployment data available for Asian American workers.

To read the complete report visit the Economic Policy Institute’s website.