Assessing the Employment Impacts of the Los Angeles Civil Unrest of 1992: Furthering Racial Divisions

Abstract

Using data from a recent survey of over 4,000 households, the authors estimate that nearly 100,000 jobs were lost because of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest and that only 26,000 jobs have been created in the rebuilding effort, resulting in a net loss of 74,000 jobs. Non-Hispanic Whites suffered 15% of the civil-unrest-related job loss, but they captured 60% of the employment opportunities created in the rebuilding process. The restoration efforts have done little to aid Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians, who made up 85% of those who lost jobs as a result of the civil disturbance. Instead, these efforts appear to have contributed to the growing racial and ethnic divisions in Los Angeles.