In a study done during the summer of 2014, a white male without a high school diploma had an 82% chance of finding employment. A black male with the same education level had a 65% chance.
A high school diploma increased a white male's chances of a job to 88% and black male's chances to 75%.
Getting some college education helped increase men's chances of employment to 93% for whites and 82% for blacks.
Getting a Bachelor's degree helped even more with chances improving to 98% for whites and 93% for blacks.
It's clear that education paves the way for employment. The better educated, the better the chances of finding a job.
But, look at those numbers again. Did you see anything striking other than the fact that in each category a black man's chances of finding a job are less than a white man's?
A black male needs at least some college credit to have a similar probability of employment as a white male high school dropout.
(Image source from first reference link below)
Education isn't the only thing that affects one's chances of employment. Using the exact same resume, white-sounding names result in a 50% greater chance of getting an interview than black-sounding names.
Once people of color attain a job, research has shown that they are more closely monitored and more easily fired for mistakes than their white counterparts.
References:
Education level and chances of employment -
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/yicare/pages/141/attachments/original/1403804069/Closing_the_Race_Gap_Ntnl_6.25.14.pdf?1403804069
Names on resumes -
http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873
Worker evaluation -
http://www.nber.org/papers/w21612
Lighter skin, better chances of employment -
http://diverseeducation.com/article/6306/
Current employment rates by race, age, and gender -
http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpsee_e16.htm
