The
Bureau of Indian Affairs has finally updated the
American Indian Population and Labor Force Report.
The Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992
(
PL
102-477) requires the BIA to publish reports every two years on the Indian
population by gender, income level, age and availability for work.
The report hasn't been published since 2005 so the agency missed three cycles.
The 2013 report finally came out last month. It differs significantly from prior reports but it offers a sobering statistic -- only about 50 percent of adult American Indians and Alaska Natives are employed in full- or part-time jobs.
Going by region, the Southern Plains has the best average employment rate -- about 57 percent of Native adults are working. The region includes tribes in Kansas, Texas and the western portion of Oklahoma.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Great Plains has the lowest average employment rate -- about 43 percent. The region includes Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Get the Story:
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