The Position of African American Men in the US Labor Market Prior to the Great Recession

Abstract

This chapter examines the position of African American men in the labor market prior to the start of the Great Recession. In order to provide a multidimensional picture of the average African American male worker, descriptive statistics will be provided, which includes the occupations in which most African American men were employed, this demographic group’s average earnings, their average unemployment rate and labor force participation rate, and trend analyses for these statistics. Examination of the position of African American men in the workforce begins with the four- to five-year period that preceded the Great Recession. This chapter also includes a brief look at the role of the relatively higher incarceration rate of African American men in their labor market position.