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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2014)
Focus News By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Blacks with college degrees continue to fare worse than college-educated Whites in the labor mar- ket, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The report titled, “The Class of 2014: The Weak Economy Is Idling Too Many Young Graduates,” looked at the job prospects for high school graduates and college graduates during the Great Recession and the current economic recovery. “Unemployment of young graduates is extremely high today, not because of some- thing unique about the Great Recession and its aftermath that has affected young people in particular,” stated the report written by Heidi Shierholz, Alyssa Davis and Will Kimball of EPI. “Rather, it is high because young workers always experience dispro- portionate increases in unemployment during periods of labor market weakness.” The report said that the unemployment rate for Black high school graduates (17-20 years-old) rose from 30.4 percent in 2007 to 41.2 percent in 2011 and decreased to 34.7 percent. The jobless rate for young, White high school graduates was 13.1 percent in 2007, peaked at 24 percent in 2010, and edged down to 19.4 percent. Young Black college graduates also suf- fered high rates of unemployment following the Great Recession. In 2007, the jobless rate for young college-educated Blacks was 8.1 percent, but by 2010, a year after the official end of the recession, that rate bal- looned to 20 percent. The report said that the jobless rate for this group of workers has improved to 13.1 percent. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for White college graduates never reached dou- ble digits, even during the Great Recession. “Among young, White non-Hispanic col- lege graduates, the unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in 2007, rose to 8.6 percent in 2011, and improved to 8.0 percent,” stated the report. The report said that high unemployment among recent college graduates is not because of a lack of education or skills for available jobs, “rather it stems from weak demand for goods and services, which makes it unnecessary for employers to sig- nificantly ramp up hiring.” High school graduates and college gradu- ates also earn less than they did nearly 15 years ago. “The real (inflation-adjusted) wages of young high school graduates have dropped 10.8 percent, and those of young college graduates have dropped 7.7 percent,” stated the report. That means that, high school graduates lost about $2,500 in annual earnings and young college graduates lost approximately $3,000 since 2000. Despite the common belief that college students often “shelter in school,” waiting until the economy improves, skyrocketing costs associated with higher education and enormous debt force many graduates to seek any work that they can find. During the 2013-2014 academic year, the average total costs to attend a four-year in- We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that work- ers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strength- ens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regard- less of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? NNPA PHOTO BY FREDDIE ALLEN Report: College Education Not an Equalizer Happy college ending but uncertain future. state public school was $22,826. The aver- age costs for a four-year private school was twice that at $44,750. “From the 1983–1984 enrollment year to the 2012–2013 enrollment year, the infla- tion-adjusted cost of a four-year education, including tuition, fees, and room and board, increased 125.5 percent for private school and 129.1 percent for public school,” the report said. “Median family income only increased 15.6 percent over this period, leaving families and students unable to pay for most colleges and universities in full.” College costs combined with a weak economy means that students that graduate in 2015, 2016, and 2017 will encounter similar high jobless rates and lost earnings. “They’ll never get those lost earnings back, those 10-15 years of reduced earn- ings, said EPI’s Heidi Shierholz. “That’s just gone.” She said that the high unemployment that young workers are facing right now is part The Skanner’s Lisa Loving Honored by Journalism Group E ach year the Oregon and Washington chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honor some of their own at the Mark of Excellence Awards gala din- ner. The Skanner’s news editor, Lisa Loving, was runner up in two categories: Social Issues and Governmental reporting for her investigative rews story: State Advocacy Chair Apologises for Racially Insensitive Remarks. Les Zaitz of the Oregonian won the Bruc Baer awards for his series about drug cartels in the Northwest. Writers and photographers at The Oregon- ian and The Seattle Times, took most of the prizes in the largest newspaper category. Journalists also found excellence among their peers at OPB; KUOW, King TV, Crosscut.com, Portland Monthly, Seattle magazine, The Columbian, The Bulletin, The Tri-City Herald, the Spokesman Review, the Seattle Weekly, Willamette Week, and the Missoula Independent. Movies continued from page 6 impress a customer (Han- nah Herzsprung) he wants to date who publishes a found manuscript under his name only to find himself hounded by the true author (Henry Hubchen) when the book becomes a runaway best-seller. With Kirsten Block, Peter Schneider and Henriette Muller. (In Ger- man with subtitles) The Love Punch (PG-13 Page 8 The Portland and Seattle Skanner May 21, 2014 and parcel of the high unemployment that’s going on in the labor market as a whole. “That means the solutions that will bring the unemployment rate down more broadly are also the same solutions that will bring the unemployment rate of young workers down,” she said. The report recommended restarting long- term emergency unemployment benefits, instituting work sharing programs to avoid layoffs, and allowing earlier access into Social Security and Medicare programs for older workers to improve job prospects for all workers, especially young workers. The report concluded: “The bottom line is that policies that will generate demand for U.S. goods and services (and therefore demand for workers who provide them), or policies that would spread the total hours of work across more workers, are the keys to giving young people a fighting chance as they enter the labor market during the after- math of the Great Recession.” for sexuality, profanity and crude humor) Revenge comedy about a divorced couple (Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan) who grudgingly join forces to recover their savings from the shady businessman (Laurent Lafitte) who embezzled the entire con- tents of their retirement account. With Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie and Tup- pence Middleton. Words and Pictures (PG- 13 for profanity, sexuality, mature themes and nude sketches) Romantic drame- dy about a prep school’s English teacher (Clive Owen) and new art instruc- tor (Juliette Binoche) who date while debating the value of their respective dis- ciplines. With Bruce Davison, Amy Brenneman and Keegan Connor Tracy.
