Data and Code for: What Explains Black Employment Dynamics?

In the United States, the unemployment rate for blacks is approximately twice as high as that for whites. This paper explores the proximate causes of black unemployment, focusing on overall job growth and the flows into and out of unemployment. Using data from the Census’s Quarterly Workforce Indicators and Job-to-Job Flows databases, we find that black employment is more volatile and separation rates higher within industries. Our results rule out one potential source of disparities in aggregate labor market outcomes, specifically, the extent to which it can be attributed to a concentration of black workers in cyclically sensitive occupations and/or industries, or those with low job security. The pervasiveness of these patterns across industries is consistent with structurally discriminatory employment practices.