Asian Americans face record job losses from COVID-19: survey

A man passes by a closed restaurant in New York City’s Chinatown. The unemployment rate for Asian Americans has surged amid the pandemic, a trend that has been overlooked amid the widespread economic misery.

New York, US | Xinhua | Asian American unemployment rates this year increased from 2.5 percent in February to 14.5 percent in April, and 15 percent in May, the greatest among all racial groups across the United States, said a recent survey.

“The far-reaching economic impact of COVID-19 has been felt across the nation, but has been particularly harmful to New York City’s Asian American workers and their families,” according to “Impact of COVID-19 on Asian Employment in New York City,” a survey conducted by the Asian American Federation.

Asian New Yorkers’ jobless rate stood at 3.4 percent in February this year, lower than those of Hispanic and black New Yorkers, but rose to 25.6 percent in May, the sharpest increase among all ethnic groups, said the survey.

Each of the many Asian ethnicities that make up New York City’s population depend on a unique mix of industries for jobs, and all of them were deeply impacted by job losses within their communities, the survey explained about the reason behind the scenario.

Many of the industries that employ low-income Asian workers were hardest hit by job losses, including apparel manufacturing, beauty and nail salons, laundromats, food services, taxi and rideshare, and retail, it added.

Key policy recommendations include providing in-language assistance to unemployed Asian New Yorkers, designing workforce development programs to help increase economic opportunity and diversify the types of jobs sought out by Asian New Yorkers, especially new immigrants, and extending the social safety net to encompass New Yorkers of all backgrounds, according to the survey.

One of the fastest-growing racial groups in the United States, Asian Americans comprise over 16 percent of the population in New York City and 10 percent of New York State. One quarter of them live under the poverty line, said the survey.

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Xinhua

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