Recent veterans took a hit in the job market in March.
The unemployment rate of veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces after September 2001 jumped to 6.3 percent from 4.7 percent a month earlier. That’s the highest level since April 2015.
Workers from minority groups also lost some ground. The unemployment rate for black Americans, Hispanics and Asians each rose by 0.2 percentage point.
Meanwhile, young workers in their early 20s lowered their unemployment rate to 8.4 percent from 8.6 percent a month earlier.
Overall, U.S. employers added 215,000 jobs last month. The overall unemployment rate ticked up to 5.0 percent from 4.9 percent.
The data for various demographic groups came from a survey of households that is part of the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
| Unemployment rate by group: | |||
| (Numbers in percentages) | March 2016 | February 2016 | March 2015 |
| White | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.7 |
| Black | 9.0 | 8.8 | 10.0 |
| Asian* | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.2 |
| Hispanic or Latino ethnicity** | 5.6 | 5.4 | 6.8 |
| Adult men | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.1 |
| Adult women | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| Teenagers | 15.9 | 15.6 | 17.6 |
| 20-24 years old | 8.4 | 8.6 | 10.3 |
| 25-54 years old | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
| 55 and over | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| Veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan* | 6.3 | 4.7 | 6.5 |
| No high school diploma | 7.4 | 7.3 | 8.6 |
| High school graduate | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Some college | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| College graduate | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Duration of Unemployment: | |||
| Average length (weeks) | 28.4 | 29.0 | 30.4 |
| Jobless 6 months or more (pct.) | 27.6 | 27.7 | 29.5 |
| * Not seasonally adjusted | |||
| **Includes all races | |||
| Source: Labor Department |
Please read our comment policy before commenting.