Obama has not been so good for black male employment

The percentage of African-American men with a job has dropped to its lowest level since records began in 1972. Even as the economy added a better-than-expected 244,000 jobs, the percentage of black males over 20 who are currently employed dropped slightly to 56.9, the Labor Department’s April 2011 report shows. For whites, the equivalent figure is 68.1%. Before this recession, the percentage of black adult men with a job had never dropped below 60%, according to Labor Department statistics. And among blacks, it’s not just men who are suffering. Just 51.5% of African-Americans across the board — compared to 59.5% of whites — have a job, the numbers show. That’s the lowest level for blacks since 1984.