Workers Wanted

While December’s net job growth of 148,000 was slightly disappointing, it’s understandable given the dearth of unemployed workers! To wit, the unemployment rate for African Americans hit 6.8%, its lowest level since record keeping began in 1972, and the rate for Hispanics/Latinos at 4.9% is one-tenth of a point from tying its 2006 all-time low. Moreover, the labor force participation rate for workers 25-54 rose to 81.9%, tops since 2010.