"Black workers are often last hired, first fired," said Angela Hanks, chief of policy programs of The Century Foundation.

The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of April 19 climbed to 1.92 million, the most since November of 2021.

The jobless rate for Black Americans climbed to 6.8% in June, the Labor Department said Thursday, up sharply from May’s 6% and the highest level since January 2022.