While the overall U.S. unemployment went unchanged in March, last month did see an unemployment rate increase for the U.S. Latino community.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed the country's Latino unemployment rate spiked by 0.2 percent from February to March. Specifically, the Latino unemployment rate went from 6.6 percent to 6.8 percent. Although the March Latino unemployment rate increased, it is down considerably compared to March 2014 when the rate was 7.9 percent.

According to the BLS, nearly 1.77 million U.S. Latinos were unemployed during March. As the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) noted, unemployed refers to individuals who are not working yet available to work, made the effort to find a job or are expected to receive a call back from a layoff. Meanwhile, 24.3 Latinos were employed, which is a slight increase from the 24.2 million in February and an additional million from March 2014's 23.3 million employed.

While 1.77 million Latinos are unemployed, 13.2 million Latinos are not in the labor force. The "not in the labor force" rate represents individuals over the age of 16 who are classified as neither employed nor unemployed.

Overall, the BLS stated approximately 26.1 million Latinos are in the civilian labor force. The "not in the labor force" rate represents individuals over the age of 16 who are classified as neither employed nor unemployed.

The unemployment rate among Latinas increased compared to Latino males. The Latina unemployment rate increased from 6.1 percent in February to 6.5 percent in March. Latino males, however, saw their unemployment rates fall from 6 percent to 5.8 percent. The Latina unemployment rate is significantly down from a year ago when it was 8.2 percent. The Latino male unemployment rate in March 2014 was 6.5 percent.

The unemployment rate among Latinos, male and female, between the ages of 16 and 19, climbed from 19.8 percent to 21.1 percent.

The unemployment rate among white Americans is 4.7 percent, which is lower than the 10.1 percent rate for the black population. The Asian population has the lowest unemployment rate with 3.2 percent.

As Latin Post reported, a White House report revealed that the Latino unemployment rate has receded to its pre-Great Recession levels and improved at a faster rate compared to other minority populations. The report disclosed that the Latino unemployment rate recovered 100 percent of its pre-recession average, a better rate compared to 87 percent for Asians, 91 percent for blacks and 96 percent for whites.

The overall U.S. unemployment rate is 5.5 percent, unchanged from February. The BLS said employment gains continued in the professional and business services sector, health care and retail trade. During March, 126,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were gained.

"While March's numbers aren't as robust as we've seen over the last year, overall trends remain solid, and there is every reason to be optimistic about our economic trajectory going forward," said Labor Secretary Thomas Perez in a statement. "We've made incredible strides since the depths of the Great Recession, but there's more work to do to make sure every person can benefit from this recovery. There's more to do to strengthen and grow our middle class."

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