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More than 1 in 6 black workers lost their jobs between February and April

Adapted from EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

As is often the case, the staggering losses in the coronavirus-driven recession have been worse for black workers.

By the numbers: According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, titled "Racism and economic inequality have predisposed black workers to be most hurt by coronavirus pandemic," more than 1 in 6 black workers lost their jobs between February and April.


  • Further, their study finds that as of April, less than half of the adult black population was employed.

The big picture: "While the economic devastation is widespread, as we show in this report, black workers are less able to weather such a storm because they have fewer earners in their families, lower incomes, and lower liquid wealth than white workers," write Valerie Wilson, director of EPI’s program on race, ethnicity and the economy, and senior economist Elise Gould.

Go deeper: America's unfinished business

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