BEHIND, I'M SOLEDAD O'BRIEN.
WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT."
POCKETBOOK ISSUES ARE ONE OF
THE DECIDING FACTORS IN THIS
YEAR'S ELECTION.
UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS MIGHT TELL
A DIFFERENT STORY, JUST UNDER
5% OVERALL.
BUT A SLUGGISH RECOVERY FROM
THE 2008 RECESSION HAS LEFT
MILLIONS OF ADULT MALES LOOKING
FOR WORK.
FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN AND
LATINO MEN, UNEMPLOYMENT IS
TWICE AS HIGH AS THAT OF WHITE
MEN.
NOW WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN
WHITE MEN WHO ARE
UNEMPLOYED.
REASONS?
DOWNSIZING, LAYOFFS AND A
CONTINUING EXODUS OF
MANUFACTURING JOBS.
HERE'S "MATTER OF FACT"
CORRESPONDENT DIANE
ROBERTS.
DIANE: HUNDREDS PEOPLE SHOWED
UP TO PITCH THEMSELVES TO
DOZENS OF POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS
AT THIS JOB FAIR OUTSIDE OF
WASHINGTON DC.
>> MY COMPANY DOWNSIZED AND I
WAS LAID OFF.
>> ARE YOU CURRENTLY
WORKING?
>> I AM NOT RIGHT NOW.
DIANE: THESE QUARTERLY LABOR
NUMBERS TELL THE RAW STORY.
BLACK MALE UNEMPLOYMENT, NOT
BUDGING AT A NEAR CONSTANT OF
9.5%.
LATINO MALE UNEMPLOYMENT AT
5.7%.
AND UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WHITE
MALES AT 4.2
NOW, THE NUMBER OF WHITE MALES
WITHOUT JOBS IS GROWING.
>> WHAT HAS THAT PROCESS BEEN
LIKE FOR YOU?
>> FRUSTRATING.
DIANE: DAVID MCDONNELL OF
FREDERICK, MARYLAND, HAS SPENT
THE LAST 16 YEARS AS A SOFTWARE
SOLUTIONS CONSULTANT UNTIL LAST
MONTH.
>> UNEMPLOYED SINCE SEPTEMBER
1.
SHOCKER, TOOK ME BY
SURPRISE.
DIANE: THE STAFF IN HIS
DEPARTMENT WAS CUT IN HALF AND
NOW HE'S OUT OF WORK.
>> THE FRUSTRATING PART I HAVE
WITH IT IS THE LACK OF RESPONSE
BACK
DIANE:WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND THIS
JOB
FAIR YOU SEE A LOT OF MEN, BUT
AT ONE TIME ALMOST EVERY MAN IN
AMERICA HAD A JOB.
THAT'S NOT THE CASE TODAY.
>> I ACTUALLY SEE MORE MEN
LOOKING
FOR POSITIONS TODAY THAN I HAVE
OVER THE COURSE OF MY
CAREER.
DIANE: CYNDI RADKE HAS BEEN IN
THE BUSINESS OF HIRING FOR 20
PLUS YEARS
SHE'S THE VICE PRESIDENT OF
SALES FO SENECA ONE FINANCE IN
THE D.C AREA.
DIANE: SINCE THE 2008
RECESSION, 1.1 MILLION WHITE
MEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 25-54
THE PRIME WORKING YEARS, LOST
THEIR JOBS.
THAT'S A LARGER NUMBER THAN
HISPANIC, ASIAN OR BLACK
ME
AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES LOST
156,000 JOBS IN T SAME
PERIOD.
?
I ASKED YOU 16 YEARS AGO IF
YOU'D BE IN THIS POSITION, WHAT
WOULD YOU HAVE THOUGHT?
>> NO.
I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD HAVE
BEEN.
I HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES ON
THE PAN AND THEY'RE STILL
FRYING.
IT'S JUST A WAITING GAME,
THAT'S THE FRUSTRATING
PART.
