Figuratively Speaking: Unemployment Among African-American Teens Skyrockets

National unemployment may be falling, but unemployment among low-skilled African-Americans, especially teenagers, is skyrocketing, according to Gatewayjobs.com, a Web site focused on the current crisis in entry-level employment that provides information on government assistance programs designed to promote employment and economic success. While entry-level employees generally face significantly higher unemployment rates than all other employees, these rates have been increasing dramatically over the last several months, according to the site. In July, the national unemployment rate dropped to 5.5 percent. In stark contrast, teenagers saw a 5 percent increase in their unemployment rate, up to 17.6 percent. African-American teens experienced an increase in unemployment of more than 13 percent and now face an unemployment rate of 37 percent. This was the fourth straight month unemployment increased for this group?an alarming 31 percent increase over that period.