It's the Brian Mayer Show on WNYC. Good morning again everyone. Now we continue our WNYC

Centennial series 100 years of 100 things. On Monday, Labor Day we did thing Number 17, 100 years of unionization and

deunionization. Today, as we're still in Labor Day week, it's Thing Number

18, 100 years of employment and unemployment.

The most recent US unemployment stat from July

was around 4%.

That's historically very low.

But politically, it's not the stat

voters are most focused on right now compared with

inflation and the general cost of living. The Federal Reserve Board has actually been

trying to push unemployment rates a little higher the last few years as a way to bring inflation down.

And unemployment varies widely by race and ethnicity.

In New York State, in the second quarter of this year, according to the Economic Policy Institute,

the white unemployment rate was around 3%.

Asian Americans 2%, Latinos 6% and black New Yorkers more than 7%.

Those ratios, especially black unemployment around double the rate of white,

are pretty consistent over time.

100 years ago in 1924, according to a chart

from the National Bureau of Economic Research,

civilian unemployment was around 5.5%.

Even though it was the roaring 20s, the economy and unemployment were bouncing around

quite a bit.

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