Statement of Rebecca Dixon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Employment Law Project (NELP) on the February Jobs Report
“Over the past year, workers have endured a sharp reversal in the job market as hiring has shut down in nearly all sectors of the economy. It’s led to a pile up of long-term unemployed workers (1.89 million in February, +438,000 from last year) and recent college graduates and other job market aspirants unable to access good job opportunities.
The February jobs report delivered another gloomy signal, with unemployment ticking back up to 4.4% as Black workers (7.7% unemployed, +0.4% from January) continue to be hard hit by cuts to government jobs and manufacturing. Reversing gains in January, employers cut 92,000 jobs in February alone, with momentum stopping even in health care companies that had previously resisted the slowdown.
Each day seems to bring a new source of job anxiety for workers, from super-powered AI to the war in Iran. Bolstering unemployment insurance and finding new ways to support young unemployed people and others that don’t even qualify is more important than ever.”
