Unemployment in the U.S. has risen dramatically since the economic recession commenced in December 2007 – as a whole, the jobless rate climbed from about 5 percent to 9.5 percent through June 2010.
However, while Asian-Americans have also witnessed a rise in joblessness, their rates remain below the comparable figures for whites, blacks and Hispanics.
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A report from the Labor Department late last year indicated that Asians have a disproportionately high presence – on the order of 47 percent – in management and professional jobs – i.e., high-paying positions requiring advanced degrees, compared with 35 percent for the American work force as a whole.
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And, perhaps not surprising, the median income for the average Asian-American household – over $68,000 – far exceeds the average ($52,000) for all groups.
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Even though statistics might reinforce the stereotype that Asian-Americans are “model minorities,” these statistics may not account for the fact that the Asian-American population is a highly heterogeneous group, according to Dr. Jeffrey Liew, assistant professor at the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University, in College Station, Tex.
“Furthermore, a substantial portion of Asian-Americans are immigrants with varying levels of educational attainment and job skills,” he said.
“The notion of Asian-Americans as 'model minorities' ignores the diversity amongst group members. Importantly, stereotyping Asian-Americans as model minorities makes it easy to dismiss or ignore the fact that many Asian-Americans may be suffering from unemployment or be living at or below poverty level.”
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http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/39534/20100729/asian-americans-unemployment-model-minority.htm