A new employment report reveals that Black women experienced the largest job losses among all demographics in April 2025.
Experts are now pointing to recent federal rollbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts as a possible cause of this troubling report.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black women lost 38,000 jobs last month, while the number of unemployed Black women increased by 106,000.
That pushed their unemployment rate from 5.1% in March to 6.1% in April, marking a continued upward trend that has persisted since February 2024.
Economist William Michael Cunningham, owner of Creative Investment Research, said the numbers are more than just statistical anomalies—they’re a reflection of broader policy shifts.
“The unusual nature of this increase in Black women’s unemployment is a testament to and a direct result of the anti-DEI and anti-Black focus of the new administration’s policies,” Cunningham told Black Enterprise. “This is demonstrably damaging to the Black community, something we have not seen before.”
DEI Rollbacks and Their Impact
The job losses come amid a sweeping DEI rollback led by the Trump Administration, which has dismantled federal equity programs and prompted many corporations to follow suit in an effort to align with new political priorities.
These changes appear to have had a disproportionate impact on Black women working in federal and public-sector roles.
According to Bloomberg, Black women’s federal employment has dropped by an estimated 33% over the past year, far exceeding the overall workforce decline of just 3.7%.
Experts Warn of Multi-Layered Challenges
Andre M. Perry, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, cited Trump’s tariffs, a sluggish economy, and the stigmatization of DEI language as additional contributing factors.
“The layoffs at the federal level where Black people are more represented, the impacts of the tariffs—particularly on small businesses that hire Black women—and just the overall use of DEI as a slur… all of these factors are probably at play,” Perry said, as reported by Bloomberg.
The report underscores growing concerns within advocacy and policy circles that Black women are being sidelined in both federal and corporate hiring efforts.
