A new report has shown that Asian American unemployment rates increased by 450 percent from February to June, according to Yahoo News.
The finding was part of a report put together by a consulting firm called McKinsey and Co that examined how Asian Americans had been impacted by the pandemic. The unemployment rate of Asian Americans sits at 8.9 percent currently, which is higher than white Americans at 7 percent.
Asian Americans are over represented in hospitality and service sectors, industries that have been hit hard by the pandemic. Researchers at McKinsey and Co suggest this may contribute to the rise in Asian American unemployment.
Throughout the pandemic, Asian Americans have continued to struggle with unemployment. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that unemployment fell in August for every racial group except Asian Americans.
Asian Americans are also facing an increase in xenophobia and discrimination. However, the report says it’s difficult to link that increase to the rising unemployment rates.
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“You know, it’s difficult to say what exactly causes what,” Emily Yueh, a partner at McKinsey and Co told Yahoo News. “And you know, it’s very difficult to link xenophobia directly to the unemployment. But we do see that there has been a rise in targeted, you know, discrimination against Asians.”
Yueh says the firm hopes the report sheds light on the issues Asian American communities are facing so that solutions may be found.
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