‘Overlooked’: Asian American Jobless Rate Surges But Few Take Notice

UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge was recently featured in a news article detailing how the coronavirus pandemic is taking a heavy economic toll on Asian American communities. Patrons refuse to buy from Asian-owned businesses, as racial and economic discrimination has intensified during COVID-19, becoming evident with comments from President Donald Trump referring to the pandemic as the “Chinese virus”.

Chinatown in Los Angeles and other ethnic enclaves throughout the nation have suffered greatly, and Asian American workers have gone from having the lowest unemployment rate in the country to one of the highest. These statistics are often overlooked while disparities in employment among Latino and Black workers have been the main focus of headlines.

“People are avoiding these areas in part because of this myth that somehow Asian Americans are tied in with the spread of the coronavirus,” CNK Director Paul Ong said. “Certainly that is untrue and unfair. But there’s no question that it gets reflected in the impact on the ethnic economy.”

Access the full article here >>> ‘Overlooked’: Asian American Jobless Rate Surges But Few Take Notice