BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT rocketed at the end of 2022, new figures from the Office of National Statistics show.

White unemployment fell during the same period, leading to speculation that black workers are bearing the brunt of job layoffs as a result of rising energy costs.

Black workers have already been disproportionately hit by job cuts during the Covid lockdown, and previously came out worst from the economic downturn a decade ago.

The African and Caribbean unemployment rate grew from 7.1 percent to 8.5 percent July to September, and October to December last year.

The ONS figures released today show white unemployment falling by 0.1 percent during the same time to 3.1 percent.

That means black workers are over twice as likely to be out of work compared to white workers.

Black women are worst hit, with the unemployment rate jumping from 9.7 percent to 11.1 percent between the third and fourth quarters of 2022.

Rohini Kahrs from the race equality think tank The Runnymede Trust commented: “These figures follow a long and devastating trend of disproportionate unemployment rates following Black communities in the labour market. Disparities in employment levels and rates of pay must be understood against the backdrop of rising levels of poverty and inequality.

“Our young Black workforce in particular are employed in insecure or precarious jobs as workers in the gig economy, and therefore lack job security and are often the first to be let go. This cost of living crisis is devastating for businesses who do not have a sufficient safety net to mitigate these soaring costs, and as a result will have to let people go.

“This crisis, and the pandemic before it, make abundantly clear that when a crisis hits, support needs to be targeted urgently towards those who will be worst affected, usually those at the intersection of multiple structural inequalities. Without continued and significant public investment in social security or commitments to job security and fair wages, our communities will continue to face hardships unknown for generations.”

The ONS also revealed pay has fallen by 3.1 percent in real terms, as wages are outstripped by high inflation and rising prices.

Britain has now endured the longest wage squeeze on record, with the New Economics Foundation think tank saying 4 in 10 Brits were unable to afford life’s essentials like putting food on the table.

Last year, the TUC revealed that African and Caribbean unemployment has been ‘terrible for 20 years’ with the black jobless rate never dipping below twice as high as white people over those two decades.

Claudia Webbe, MP for Leicester East, said: “The news that Black people are losing their jobs while unemployment among white people has fallen is appalling, but sadly unsurprising.

“Structural and unconscious bias and discrimination and in some cases outright racism among employers and in society persist and the Conservative government is not only doing very little to address this but is actively fanning division to cover for their own failures.

“We are seeing the terrible results of this strategy in the increase in racist attacks and in terror and disorder like the recent racist mob violence in Knowsley.

“Structurally, Black people are more likely to be working in jobs that are essential for this country’s wellbeing, but which remain insecure and low-paid. As we saw during the pandemic – in both job losses and the death toll among front-line workers – this fact means that Black people generally suffer first and worst from misplaced, negligent or malicious government policies, and Black women suffer most of all.

“This is not rocket science, yet the government has only worsened the situation over the last thirteen years.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said today: “In tough times unemployment remaining close to record lows is an encouraging sign of resilience in our labour market.

“The best thing we can do to make people’s wages go further is stick to our plan to halve inflation this year.”