State Senator Mattie Hunter attended a public hearing today on unemployment and job creation in front of the Illinois House Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Committee at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. The hearing was sponsored by Committee Chair Representative La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) and attended by legislators, representatives from State agencies, and city and council officials to discuss legislation and laws enacted to address the unemployment crisis in Chicago. The hearing consisted of panels speaking on job creation initiatives, and the impacts of unemployment to the youth, aging, minorities, disabled, and formerly incarcerated.

Senator Hunter spoke to the committee about African American unemployment and legislation she sponsored in 2010. The legislation, titled the African American Employment Act, creates an 11-member, governor appointed, advisory council. The committee, working with Department of Central Management (CMS), will create a plan to increase the number of African American employees in state agencies at all levels. The plan will also investigate possible barriers African Americans face in seeking state employment. Similar to the Hispanic Employment Plan, the plan will be managed by CMS and will require participation by all State agencies.

"Statistics have consistently proven that African American employment within State agencies is disproportionate compared to other ethnicities," Hunter said. "It is imperative that we as government officials and agencies recognize the difficulties facing the African American population within State employment and we remedy those barriers immediately."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate of African Americans in 2009 was just over 17 percent while the Caucasian unemployment rate was nine percent and Hispanic unemployment rate was over 11 percent. African American men made up the highest focused groups of unemployed at over 20 percent.