Black Women’s Unemployment Is Rising. This Is Why It’s A Problem
Unemployment rates for Black women are rising, and economists believe this signifies a broader problem. Black women’s unemployment rate increased from 5.1% in March to 6.1% in April and reached an all-time high in May at 6.2% before dropping to 5.8% in June, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported by The 19th.
Rates for white and Asian women remained close to 3% and 5% for Latinas, in comparison. Experts believe that this highlights a strain in the economy.
Why is this concerning?
Due to systemic racism and barriers in the labor market, Black workers always face the consequences of the economy first, which paints a picture of the overall financial market, according to Jessica Fulton, a senior fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a think tank focused on Black Americans.
Black women also face the longest periods of unemployment before finding another job, with the average waiting time being six months for the demographic group.
Additionally, Black women are more likely to be in departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, which have been targeted for cuts by DOGE. Additionally, they make up several DEI roles that have been terminated as a result of President Trump’s executive orders.
Black unemployment reaching an all-time high
Unemployment among Black Americans rose to its highest level in more than three years. In June, the jobless rate for Black Americans increased to 6.8%, from 6% in May, according to the Labor Department, as per CNN. However, the national unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% and employers added 147,000 jobs in June.
“Black Americans tend to work in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, which are industries where we’ve seen hiring pulled back, especially in the last few months,” Cory Stahle, senior economist at employment site Indeed, said.
Image: Francis Odeyemi
