For Immediate release: Friday, April 29, 2011
Contact: Phoebe Silag or Karen Conner, news@epi.org, 202-775-8810

Unemployment rate for Hispanic New Mexicans significantly higher than white non-Hispanic unemployment rate

Unemployment for Hispanic New Mexicans is significantly higher than it is for non-Hispanic white New Mexicans, a new Economic Policy Institute (EPI) Issue Brief finds.  The report, Distressed New Mexico: An ongoing and uneven unemployment crisis by Douglas Hall and Algernon Austin finds that in 2010, the average Hispanic unemployment rate was 9.0%, while the average white non-Hispanic unemployment rate was 6.8%.  Despite tentative signs of economic recovery in New Mexico and unemployment rates for both Hispanic and white non-Hispanic workers that are below national averages, the vulnerable economy remains hampered by unemployment.  In 2010, the national Hispanic unemployment rate was 12.5% and the national white non-Hispanic unemployment rate was 8.0%.