While the entire American population has felt the effects of the recession, the Asian American community has escaped with the lowest unemployment rates of any group.
An article in USA Today examined the unemployment rates of the general population, and found that cultural and educational factors play a role in the lower rates of unemployment for the API community.
In October, Asian Americans had an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent, compared to a rate of 10.2 for the general population. Other ethnic groups had much higher rates, such as African American, with a rate of 15.3 percent, and Hispanic, with a rate of 12.4 percent.
Researchers told USA Today that both American-born and foreign born workers of Asian descent tend to have higher educational levels than other groups. As a result, they make up a greater percentage of jobs in the management or professional sector.
According to the article, while Asian Americans make up only five percent of the U.S. workforce, they account for 29 percent of computer software engineers, 20 percent of computer programmers, and 16 percent of computer scientists and system analysts.
Additionally, many Asian Americans also work in the healthcare field, which was one of only two economic sectors to grow during the recession.
Finally, cultural and family ties often lead to a lower unemployment rate.
"Despite their upward mobility, Asians are still a minority group and thus more closely connected to one another than a native-born Caucasian American," sociology professor Robert Lang told USA Today. "You're much more on your own if you're a middle-income, native-born white American, especially in a big city."
The article also explains that Asian Americans are more likely to be self-employed than other groups, which can make it easier to give family members jobs in times of economic hardship. Also, since a work ethic is an important value in many Asian American homes, many Asian Americans take jobs for which they are overqualified, rather than not working at all.
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