Comptroller Stringer Analysis: City Unemployment Rate Rises to 18.3 Percent in May

Data reveals rising unemployment among communities of color and young people in New York City; Comptroller urges Washington to provide swift federal aid

Stringer: As our country and our city look toward reopening, we cannot leave behind the small businesses and workers that keep our economy running.

New York City’s unemployment rate rose from 15.8 percent in April to 18.3 percent in May, bucking indicators of a potential national economic rebound according to an analysis of the city’s employment situation released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer.

Comptroller Stringer’s analysis found that New York City’s economy may have a long road ahead as over 900,000 fewer New Yorkers were working in May than in February, with 534,000 newly unemployed since then and more than 381,000 workers dropping out of the labor force altogether. The data also revealed that communities of color and young people under the age of 24 have been particularly hit hard by job losses.

“The latest data on the city’s unemployment situation are alarming and further underscores the urgent need for swift, robust federal support,” said Comptroller Stringer. “Communities of color and young people are bearing the brunt of our unemployment crisis; we need Washington to recognize the enormous scale of the losses we’ve suffered and get New York City the financial aid it needs. The federal government should extend the pandemic unemployment compensation benefit of $600 weekly while the COVID-19 continues to threaten lives and livelihoods. Here at home, there are a number of actions we can take to provide immediate relief. First, the City should restart our stalled capital program as a means of generating good-paying jobs, expanding the workforce, and meeting our growing infrastructure demands. We need to increase and streamline opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses who have suffered the most during the city’s slowdown, and restore the Summer Youth Employment Program so our children have viable pathways toward success. As our country and our city look toward reopening, we cannot leave behind the small businesses and workers that keep our economy running. We are the nation’s economic engine, and I urge Congress and City Hall to marshal our resources and stand up for New York City.”

The Comptroller’s analysis found the following:

Unemployment Continues to Rise 

The City’s overall unemployment rate increased from 3.5 percent in February to an unprecedented 18.3 percent in May according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — with even higher rates among men, Asian-Americans, Latinos, and African-American New Yorkers. Roughly one out of every 4 workers of color are currently unemployed.

Change in NYC Employment, February 2020 to May 2020

	February 2020	May 2020	Change
Employed	3,914,274	2,999,166	-915,108
+ Unemployed	137,391	671,304	533,913
= Labor Force	4,051,665	3,670,470	-381,195
Unemployment Rate	3.4%	18.3%	+14.9%
Civilian Non-Institutionalized Population	6,710,823	6,702,382	-8,441
Labor Force Participation Rate	60.4%	54.8%	-5.6%

SOURCE: Office of the Comptroller from Bureau of Labor Statistics.

NOTE: Seasonally adjusted.

Data released by the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), which unlike the BLS data is not seasonally adjusted, shows a citywide unemployment rate of 19.9 percent. CPS data also indicated that the unemployment rate among men rose from 3.5 percent in February to 21.5 percent in May, while the rate for women rose slightly less sharply to 18.1 percent. Among Asian-American New Yorkers, the rate increased from 3.4 percent in February to 25.6 percent in May. The rates for Latinos rose to 25.1 percent and for African-American New Yorkers to 23.5 percent.

Change in Unemployment Rate, February to May, by Demographic Group

Young People Suffer the Highest Increase in Unemployment 

The unemployment rate among young people, ages 16 to 24, has skyrocketed — rising to a staggering 35.2 percent from its pre-pandemic rate of 6.6 percent. The unemployment rate among workers 55 and older rose from a pre-pandemic rate of 3.1 percent to 14.1 percent.

Change in Unemployment Rate, February to May, by Age Group

Immigrant Unemployment Rate Rises Sharply 

The City’s foreign-born population has experienced a rise in unemployment in May to 23.3 percent, an increase of 19.7 percent above pre-pandemic levels. A significant part of these workers are undocumented foreign-born workers who have been excluded from receiving unemployment benefits provided under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Asian-American immigrants experienced a sharp increase in unemployment, up from 4.6 percent in February to 26.3 percent in May. The sharpest increase was among Latinos, nearly a third of whom — 30.8 percent — were unemployed in May, a staggering figure up from just 3.3 percent in February. This stands in sharp contrast to just back in February when Latino immigrant New Yorkers had the lowest unemployment rate of all immigrant groups. Foreign-born Black New Yorkers had the lowest increase in unemployment among all foreign-born groups with an unemployment rate of 15.9 percent in May, up from 5.5 percent in February.

Change in Unemployment Rate, February to May, Foreign-Born Workers

Sharp Drop in Labor Force Participation 

The city’s lockdown dramatically increased the number of people not in the labor force — with the biggest change among those who report “other” reasons than retirement, disability, school, or home care responsibilities. The City’s labor force participation rate dropped an unprecedented 7.6 percentage points since February, from 61.5 percent to 53.8 percent. In contrast, U.S. labor force participation declined from 63.4 percent in February to 60.8 percent in May.

Labor force participation experienced significant drops among every demographic group including men (6.7 percent), women (8.5 percent), foreign-born workers (6.7 percent), African-Americans (12.6 percent), Asian-Americans (10.6 percent), Whites (7.1 percent) and Latinos (2.7 percent).

Change in Labor Force Participation Rate, February to May, by Demographic Group

Comptroller Stringer outlined the following recommendations:

At the federal level:

• Extend the $600 weekly unemployment benefit under the Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program beyond its current expiration next month
• Provide desperately-needed general fiscal relief to state and local governments, who continue to face the urgent service needs of their residents without adequate resources

At the local level:

• Restore the Summer Youth Employment Program, which was cut by the de Blasio administration in April. This would provide income and job opportunities to 75,000 City youth and mitigate the extremely high unemployment rate among youth
• Restart the stalled capital program as a means of generating good-paying jobs, expanding the workforce, and meeting our growing infrastructure demands
• Increase and streamline opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses who have suffered the most during the city’s slowdown

To read Comptroller Stringer’s analysis of the city’s employment figures, click here.

MAYOR DE BLASIO COMMEMORATES JUNETEENTH WITH NEW RACIAL JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

Commission will address systemic racism through policy action and documenting the history of racial discrimination in NYC

  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced additional steps the City is taking to address disparities and structural racism that have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of that effort, the City will commemorate Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved Africans, with a new commission to understand the effects of structural and institutional racism in New York City. The Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission (RRC) will be established to promote social learning, collective introspection, and policy action. In addition, the Commission will create a historical record of racial discrimination, with an emphasis on housing, criminal justice, environmental racism and public health. 

“New York City is the safest big city in America with crime at all-time lows, yet communities of color bear the brunt of crime and incarceration,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Racism has been a pervasive and consequential force throughout the city’s history and we cannot go back to the status quo. We must use the past to inform and inspire the present, to promote the dignity and well-being of all New Yorkers, and their full inclusion in the life of our city.”

"Communities of color experience the painful cost of being black or brown every day, and confronting this legacy of systemic racism requires that we confront history,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “Reconciliation is not an alternative to justice, but it is necessary to build trust and create a stronger, fairer City for generations to come.”

Racial injustices are manifested in a myriad of ways, from notorious episodes of racial violence to less visible policies and practices that reinforce racial segregation and impact the health and economic opportunity of New Yorkers. The RRC will examine how these forces shaped the physical and social geography of the city and provide a platform for New Yorkers to share their personal experiences and to participate in policy deliberations. The City will work with the Commission to identify and examine focus areas where discrimination has manifested, including housing, criminal justice, environmental justice, education and place-based disparities.

No major U.S. city or state has undergone a comprehensive truth and reconciliation process. New York City will model this process after universities and other nations, such as the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Following the end of apartheid, the TRC format has been adopted in many places as a forum to reconcile historic injustice based on race or ethnicity with the need for perpetrators and victims to live together. They are based in the theory of restorative justice, focusing on rehabilitation through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.

Juneteenth Education

The Department of Education has shared lessons, discussion guides, readings, and other age-appropriate instructional materials for educators to teach lessons about Juneteenth. The DOE is encouraging teachers to use them today, but also in coming days to help students understand the American history of enslaving Africans, race, and racism in our culture. The Mayor is also making Juneteenth an official City and school holiday. 

Black Lives Matter Murals

The Mayor also announced the locations for street murals in each of the five boroughs to commemorate the Black Lives Matter movement. The street murals we be at the following locations, to be completed in the next few weeks:

Queens: 153rd Street between Jamaica Avenue and Archer Avenue

Bronx: Morris Avenue between 161st Street and 162nd Street

Brooklyn: Joralemon Street between Adams Street and Court Street

Manhattan: Centre Street between Worth Street and Reade Street

Staten Island: Richmond Terrace between Hamilton Avenue and Ferry Terminal Viaduct

The Final Debate in the 14th Congressional District, and it Was the Only Live Debate of the 2020 Primary Season

What was seen by the Parkchester Times 14th Congressional Debate held Wednesday night was that yes a live candidates debate could be held during a Pandemic. After all Governor Cuomo in his live daily briefings has had up to twenty-five people in the room. The governor, a few of his staff up front with him, several production people, and more than ten reporters, all who are socially distanced. 

If you went to one of the early voting sites there were fourteen to eighteen poll workers, two police officers, one or two visitors (such as myself), and the few people who were at the poll site to vote, for a total of up to twenty-five or more people in the room. 

I was one of the organizers of the Parkchester Times debate, and my job was not to moderate as I did in 2018, but to make sure the candidates appeared. The debate was to be on Facebook Live, and recorded by Bronxnet Television with their host Gary Axelbank as the moderator. In talking to the candidates representatives I made sure all knew that I was not moderating the debate this year, and in conversations with Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez's person Ms. Lauren Hitt I could sense a similar pattern to the 2018 debate when then Congressman Crowley's person said he could not attend due to a prior commitment. After proposing several dates to Ms. Hitt I noticed stalling by her, and was told to pick a date when I asked her for an answer. 

A date of Wednesday June 17th was chosen for a live debate, and conveyed to all candidates. Candidates Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Badrun Khan confirmed that they would attend. There was no response from Ms. Hitt, again until I pressured her for an answer. Two days after the date was sent to the candidates I noticed the congresswoman had scheduled a coffee with the congresswoman, and received word from Ms. Hitt that her boss would not be attending the debate. Since the congresswoman was not going to attend candidate Kahn pulled out of the debate. So how did I get Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez to attend a debate she did not want to attend? 

I saw an ad on Facebook for the congresswoman, and noticed during the 2020 Pandemic that the photo of the congresswoman had no mask. I posted on Facebook questioning as to how during a Pandemic the congresswoman could campaign without a mask. I received an answer that the photo was from 2018, and then questioned why the congresswoman would not want to use a photo of herself wearing a mask during the Pandemic. Comments started to pop up on Facebook by Bronx residents of the 14th congressional district, mostly asking why the congresswoman was ducking the debate. The clincher had to be when I went to the congresswoman's campaign office and requested a poster of her two days before the debate. As I was leaving with the poster I was asked what I intended to do with it. I said that since the congresswoman was not going to attend, the poster of her would be placed on a chair to represent her. 

(L - R) Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortes, Candidate Badrun Khan, Moderator Gary Axelbank Candidate Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.

Notice the Ocasio-Cortez poster in front of the congresswoman.

Queens Man Charged In Connection With Arson Of An NYPD Vehicle In Manhattan

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John B. DeVito, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), Dermot Shea, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Daniel A. Nigro, the Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department (“FDNY”), announced today the arrest of VICTOR A. SANCHEZ-SANTA in connection with his attempts to destroy a police car in midtown Manhattan.  SANCHEZ-SANTA was arrested this morning and will be presented in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate James L. Cott later today.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated:  “As alleged, the defendant selected a clearly marked NYPD vehicle, walked up beside it, started a fire under the vehicle, and fled the scene.  In allegedly doing so, he maliciously targeted law enforcement.  Arson is also a threat to more than its immediate victim, with the potential to destroy and terrify far beyond the place where a fire is set.  We have the quick response of members of the NYPD, FDNY, and ATF to thank for controlling the fire and identifying the defendant so he can face the significant charge for his alleged crime.”

ATF Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito said:  “The use of fire as a weapon places our communities at risk and greatly endangers our citizens.  ATF and our partners will vigorously investigate and bring those responsible to justice by means of the Strategic Explosive Arson Response (SEAR) Task Force.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said:  “Torching an NYPD vehicle, as alleged, is not just an isolated crime but a threat to all New Yorkers.  The hard work of our detectives and law enforcement partners in this case ensures there will be justice.”

Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said:  “Arson is a callous act that senselessly puts the lives of New Yorkers and first responders in danger.  The excellent teamwork of our Fire Marshals, the NYPD, and ATF continues to seek justice against those who use fire to harm others and destroy property.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint[1]:

On June 9, 2020, at approximately 1:20 a.m., SANCHEZ-SANTA stopped his car beside a marked NYPD vehicle on West 42nd Street in Manhattan.  He got out of his car, took a cloth glove in his hand and held the glove to a flame until it ignited.  He then put the burning glove underneath the NYPD vehicle, and got back into his car, leaving the glove burning beneath the police car.

SANCHEZ-SANTA, 19, of Queens, New York, is charged with one count of arson, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Strategic Explosive and Arson Response Task Force of the ATF, the NYPD, and the FDNY. 

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint, and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.