The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a decline in the unemployment rate for Asian Americans from June to July, contrary to the broader trend. In July, the unemployment rate among Asian Americans decreased to 3.7% from 4.1% in June, even as the overall national unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, up from 4.1% the previous month.

White Americans saw an increase in their unemployment rate, which rose to 3.8% in July from 3.5% in June. Similarly, the jobless rate for Hispanic Americans climbed to 5.3% in July, up from 4.9% in the prior month. The unemployment rate for Black Americans remained steady at 6.3%.

Gender disparities were also observed. The unemployment rate for Black women decreased slightly to 5.5% in July from 5.7% in June, while it increased for Black men, rising to 6.6% from 6.1%. Among white workers, the unemployment rate for men increased to 3.5% in July from 3.2% in June, and for women, it rose to 3.4% from 3.1%. Hispanic male workers experienced a jobless rate increase to 4.4% from 4.2%, while Hispanic female workers saw a notable rise to 5.4% from 4.5%.

Data on the unemployment rates for Asian workers by gender were not available. However, Elise Gould, Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute, highlighted the volatility of these figures, especially for smaller demographic groups. Gould emphasized that despite the overall increase in unemployment, the labor market remains robust for the prime-age workforce (ages 25 to 54), with an employment rate of 80.9% in July.

The labor force participation rate increased slightly to 62.7% in July, up from 62.6% in June. Participation rates also showed modest changes across different racial groups, with slight increases for white and Black Americans, while the rate for Hispanic and Asian workers saw minor declines.