Latinos are losing jobs at a higher rate than other ethnic groups

Latino unemployment in California, which has been rising rapidly, reached 15.7% in the quarter ending June 30, exceeding African American joblessness for the first time in the current economic downturn, according to a new analysis.The state's Latino unemployment is projected to hit nearly 18% a year from now, said the report released Monday by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank.
Nationally, black unemployment continues to surpass Latino joblessness, and that pattern is not expected to change soon, said Algernon Austin, the study's author. Still, across the country, unemployment among Latinos has increased faster than for other groups.Among 12 states with enough data to compare unemployment by ethnicity, California is the only one where Latino joblessness leads all other groups.

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