Black Women Face Record Job Losses Under Trump

by Ezekiel J. Walker and Nehemiah Frank, The Black Wall Street Times

Federal layoffs and DEI rollbacks push more than 300,000 Black women out of the workforce in just five months.

Since the November election, there’s not only been a political shift—there’s also a shift in the labor market. Data suggests federal layoffs, budget cuts and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rollbacks are among the many factors why Black women are being removed from the workforce in record numbers. 

In fact, more than 300,000 Black women have exited the job market. While July data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the unemployment rate of 4.2%, that number rose to 6.3% for Black women—the highest it’s been since October 2021.

This all means that when the Trump Administration began slashing federal jobs, executing executive orders to end DEI initiatives, Black women were laid off in large numbers.

Black women make up about 12% of the federal workforce, nearly double their share in the overall US labor force.

Between February and July, Black women lost 319,000 jobs across the public and private sectors, according to an analysis by gender economist Katica Roy.

They were the only major female demographic to experience steep losses during the five-month period.

Learn how trends differ between Black women and other groups.

Black women facing layoffs can consider these coping strategies.

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