African-American College Students Are Less Likely Than White College Students to Work and More Likely to Be Unable to Find a Job While in College

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 56.7 percent of all white college students hold jobs while attending school. Only 44.2 percent of African-American college students are employed.

For the past half-century in the United States — in both good economic times and bad — blacks have been twice as likely to be unemployed as whites. Unfortunately, this ratio holds true for college students. For blacks enrolled in college, 10.5 percent are actively seeking work but cannot find it. For white college students, only 5.7 percent are seeking work but cannot find a job.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.