Most new hires in the U.S. are people of color for the first time ever. A recession could wipe that out.

For the first time, most new hires of prime working age in the U.S. — that is, people aged 25 to 54 — are people of color, The Washington Post found after analyzing data from the Labor Department that goes back to the 1970s. To put it in perspective, 5.2 million more people in the U.S. have jobs than they did at the end of 2016. Of those new hires, 4.5 million are minorities.

The Post notes that women of color, in particular, are behind the surge, including women over the age of 45. The latter group has reportedly emerged as one of the biggest job gainers as their children age, though the impetus for the increase isn't purely a rosy one; experts say one of the reasons more women are getting jobs is because their families need two incomes to pay rent and other bills, signifying that the cost of living is increasing disproportionately around the country. Still, there are plenty of positives. Frances Villagran-Glover, the vice president of student services at Northern Virginia Community College, spoke specifically on Latinx women entering the workforce.

"Culturally, our role was to stay home and take care of the children," she said. "But that mind-set is changing. And as women go into the workforce, they see opportunities for leadership and growth."

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Of course, the specter of a recession haunts everything these days, and global economic uncertainty has led to fears that general hiring restrictions could curb these record-setting job gains. The Post also notes that some hiring gains have come by way of state programs that would likely be cut early on in an economic downturn. Read more at The Washington Post.