April 17, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Employment growth in 2000 by race and Hispanic origin

Among the major race and ethnic groups, employment grew fastest for Hispanics in 2000. The number of employed Hispanics aged 16 and older grew by 5.1 percent; this compares with increases of 2.0 percent for blacks and 0.8 percent for whites.

[Chart data—TXT]

Part of the strong employment growth for Hispanics reflects population growth. The Hispanic population grew by 3.5 percent in 2000, while the black and white populations grew 1.6 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. However, the increase in employment for Hispanics also reflects an increase in the percentage of their population that was employed. Their employment-population ratio reached an all-time high of 64.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2000.

These data are a product of the Current Population Survey. The above figures on employment are seasonally adjusted; population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation. Percent changes discussed above are fourth quarter 1999 to fourth quarter 2000. Find out more about employment changes in 2000 in "The job market in 2000: slowing down as the year ended," by Jennifer L. Martel and David S. Langdon, Monthly Labor Review, February 2001.