At the Crossroads: Black Women and Employment in the Post-Trump Era

Since 2017, Black women’s labor market experience has reflected both deep systemic inequities and the fallout from significant policy shifts. Our analysis of employment trends, using data from the Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reveals a nuanced picture: Black women made pre-pandemic employment gains but suffered greater economic losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an uneven and incomplete recovery.

Key Trends:

• Occupational Segregation: Many Black women remain in underpaid, undervalued roles in caregiving, retail, and service industries—jobs most vulnerable to job cuts and instability.
• Policy Rollbacks: The erosion of DEI programs and worker protections has closed off paths to career advancement.
• Childcare Crisis: The lack of investment in affordable, accessible childcare has forced many women to reduce hours or leave the workforce entirely.
• Persistent Pay Gap: Black women earn just 66¢ for every dollar earned by white men—a figure that has barely budged and, in some sectors, worsened.

Community Solutions:

1. Support Black-owned enterprises to stimulate local economies and create jobs.
2. Invest in training and credentialing for industries like technology, green energy, and healthcare.
3. Mobilize for family-centered policies, including universal childcare and paid leave.
4. Strengthen civic engagement to advocate for equity-focused economic policies.

Black women have always been the backbone of the U.S. economy. It’s time for systems that reflect that reality and reward it accordingly.