This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

Creative Investment Research has revised its February 2025 unemployment forecast ahead of the March 7, 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, incorporating worsening economic conditions reflected in the latest Atlanta Federal Reserve GDPNow projections. The U.S. economy is now expected to shrink by 2.8% in Q1 2025, a sharp downward revision from -1.5% just days earlier, signaling deeper-than-expected economic contraction and potentially accelerating job losses across key industries. The latest data show that personal consumption expenditures growth has fallen to 0.0%, indicating a near standstill in consumer spending, while private fixed investment growth has dropped to 0.1%, reflecting a sharp pullback in business investment. These factors are expected to have a direct impact on the labor market, leading to a more pronounced rise in unemployment than initially forecast. Revised Unemployment Forecast for February 2025 1. Overall Unemployment Rate Likely to Rise to 4.2% An inc...

Key Trends White Unemployment: Steady Rate : The unemployment rate for white workers has remained largely consistent, fluctuating between 3.1% to 3.8% from April 2023 to August 2024 . This shows stability with no major spikes, indicating that the white workforce has seen fewer disruptions during this period. Recent Increase : There's a slight uptick in July 2024 and August 2024 at 3.8% , but it's  within a stable range. Black/African American Unemployment: Higher Rates : The unemployment rate for Black workers is significantly higher, moving from 4.8% in April 2023 to 6.1% in August 2024 . This continues to reflect the long-standing disparity in unemployment rates compared to white workers. Fluctuations : There’s a notable rise in March 2024 where Black unemployment spiked to 6.4% , followed by slight drops and increases throughout the summer. These fluctuations may be attributed to sector-specific changes that disproportionately affect Black workers. Asian Unemployment: Lo...