Why Do Blacks and Women Have High Unemployment Rates?

This paper analyzes differences in the duration, turnover, and distribution of unemployment by race, sex, age, and occupation. Data are drawn primarily from the Work Experience Surveys conducted since 1964. We find that high job turnover accounts for the relatively high unemployment rates observed among blacks in general, young people of both races, and individuals in unskilled occupations. However, women, especially white women of childbearing age, experience higher unemployment rates because they are unemployed longer between jobs.