WASHINGTON (AP) - The path of unemployment rates in March diverged along education levels.
For people without high school diplomas, unemployment jumped to 5.9%, the highest level in five months. By contrast, the jobless rate for college graduates fell to 2%, the lowest point in five months.
The unemployment rate for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fell to 3.1% from 3.4% in February.
The Labor Department said Friday that employers added a solid 196,000 jobs in March. The overall unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%.
The data for 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 2019 | February 2019 | March 2018 |
| White | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| Black | 6.7 | 7.0 | 6.8 |
| Asian | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Hispanic or Latino ethnicity* | 4.7 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
| Adult men | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Adult women | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| Teenagers | 12.8 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| 20-24 years old | 7.2 | 7.2 | 6.7 |
| 25-54 years old | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| 55 and over | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.2 |
| Veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan* | 3.1 | 3.4 | 5.0 |
| No high school diploma | 5.9 | 5.3 | 5.6 |
| High school graduate | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| Some college | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| College graduate | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Duration of Unemployment: | |||
| Average length (weeks) | 22.2 | 21.7 | 24.2 |
| Jobless 6 months or more (pct.) | 21.1 | 20.4 | 20.6 |
| *Includes all races | |||
| Source: Labor Department | |||
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