Asian Americans may have the lowest unemployment rate of any racial group nationwide, but a new report shows college-educated Asian Americans have a harder time finding jobs than whites, reports New America Media. The new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), “Hidden Disadvantage: Asian American Unemployment and the Great Recession”, shows that in the fourth quarter of 2009, 7.2 percent of Asian Americans with bachelor’s degrees were unemployed, while only 4.7 percent of whites with the same education level were without work, even though Asian Americans have a slightly lower unemployment rate overall—8.1 percent compared to 8.4 percent for whites, regardless of education level. Austin said such disparity between Asian Americans and whites has long existed, but the recent massive job losses due to the recession have significantly widened the gap, which makes it more obvious. In 2007, the unemployment rate for Asian Americans with a bachelor’s degree was only 2.7 percent, compared to 2 percent in whites.
