Black Unemployment Crisis Continues; 14.4% Unemployment in June 2012

The United States added 80,000 jobs in June 2012 - making it 28 consecutive months of private sector job growth - and unemployment rate remained at 8.2 percent. U.S. job growth barely picked up in June, the latest sign that economic growth has slowed.

There are about 12.7 million unemployed people in the country - and our nation's unemployment metrics don't provide any positive movement for President Obama as we enter the final months of the presidential campaign against Gov. Romney.

The numbers in the Black community are bad!

The unemployment rate in the Black community rose in June 2012 to 14.4%. This compares to previous months:

• Mar 2012 - 14.0%
• Feb 2012 - 14.1%
• Jan 2012 - 13.6%
• Dec 2011 - 15.7%
• Nov 2011 - 15.5%
• Sep 2011 - 16.0%
• Aug 2011 - 16.7%

The Labor Department said private companies accounted for all of the growth in June payrolls, adding 84,000 jobs. Governments, meanwhile, cut payrolls by 4,000. The federal work force shed 7,000 positions.

Employment increased 47,000 in the professional- and business-services category, led by temporary-help services. Companies sometimes add temps before making permanent hires.

Manufacturing, a bright spot in an otherwise tepid recovery, added 11,000 jobs. The pace of factory hiring has tailed off, though, to an average of 10,000 a month in the second quarter from 41,000 a month in the first.

The health-care and wholesale-trade industries also added jobs.

What is your opinion of the unemployment data that was released today?