Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders had a higher labor force participation rate than Asians

The month of May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show labor force trends of two race categories—Asians, and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders—over the last 10 years. In 2013, the labor force participation rate of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders was 70.0 percent, higher than that of the total population (63.2 percent) and all Asians (64.6 percent).

Asians can be further broken out into 7 different Asian groups. Among these groups, rates ranged between 68.5 percent for Filipinos and 58.2 percent for Japanese. In part, these differences in labor force participation reflect differences in the characteristics of each group. For example, Japanese—who generally have relatively low participation rates—have an older age profile than other Asian groups.

The unemployment rates of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders have been above that of the total population and Asians for the past several years; in 2013, the unemployment rate for this group was 10.2 percent, compared with 7.4 percent for the total population and 5.2 percent for Asians. Among the Asian groups, unemployment rates in 2013 varied from 4.4 percent for Japanese to 7.1 percent for Other Asians. In general, the unemployment rate for Japanese has tended to be among the lowest rates, and the rate for Other Asians has been among the highest rates. (Other Asians include individuals who reported an Asian group not listed and those who reported two or more Asian groups.)