Chamber’s Bradley on May Unemployment Figures

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley released the following statement in response to unemployment figures released today.

“Today’s jobs report is certainly welcome news and a clear sign that the reopening and recovery is underway. It is also a reminder that the recovery is likely to be uneven across industries and communities. It is noteworthy that while overall unemployment fell, it did not fall for African Americans.

“If Black Americans had the same participation and unemployment rate as white Americans, there would be 1.3 million more African Americans in jobs today. This is not new. Before the pandemic a growing economy produced record low unemployment, but even then, if participation and unemployment rates would have been the same for Black and white workers, there would have been 842,500 more African Americans in jobs. The U.S. Chamber’s June 25th Summit on Inequality of Opportunity and Building Economic Equity will work to develop actionable solutions to close this gap.”