Unemployment among Latinos is up to 7.3%, report says

General unemployment rose to 5% in early 2008. The Pew Hispanic Center finds that among Latino immigrants, the jobless rate is slightly higher, 7.5%, and is 8.4% for Mexican immigrants.

Nicole Gaouette, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — Unemployment among Latinos and particularly Latino immigrants jumped in the last year, according to a report released today by the Pew Hispanic Center.

Amid an extended housing market slump, the Pew figures prompted concern among Latino leaders but offered indirect affirmation for immigration enforcement officials about new aggressive enforcement raids.

The report, based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, shows that unemployment among all Latinos is higher than the general population. Among Latino immigrants it is higher still, and within that group, Mexican immigrants and recent arrivals are suffering some of the largest increases in joblessness.

While general unemployment, not seasonally adjusted, rose to 5% in the first quarter of 2008, among Latinos, the figure hit 7.3%. Among Latino immigrants, the jobless rate jumped to 7.5%, while as many as 8.4% of Mexican immigrants are without work. Immigrants who arrived in 2000 or later were hardest hit, with 9.3% jobless in the first quarter of 2008.

“It’s striking indeed, especially for foreign workers and the Mexican-born,â€