Black Unemployment Rate Falling In Metro Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) - A new report says unemployment among blacks is falling in metropolitan Detroit.

The Economic Policy Institute says the jobless rate for African Americans in the Detroit area last year was just over 18 percent.

WWJ's Sandra McNeill reports that the figure is down significantly from the 25 percent rate in 2010.

The report also says that the gap between white and black unemployment is smaller in Detroit than America as a whole; with blacks 1.8 times for more likely to be unemployed than whites.

Michigan League for Human Services chief Gilda Jacobs says it's good news that the auto industry recovery is creating jobs but bad that black, Hispanic and white workers still face high joblessness.