Millions of Americans have gone back to work as the vaccines against COVID-19 have helped quell the outbreak; however, employers are seemingly hiring fewer black and Hispanic workers, entrenching persistent inequalities in the United States.
The divides are fueled by long-running employment discrimination, experts say, worsened by unique, virus-related disruptions that have left many job seekers unable to find work they can get to or feel safe doing.
“We haven’t actually addressed those underlying power disparities in the economy,” said Kate Bahn, director of labor market policy with the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.
After skyrocketing to 14.7% in April 2020, when business restrictions to stop the virus from spreading were at their tightest, the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 5.9% in June, according to the Labor Department.
But the gains were not shared equally: the jobless rate for black…
