Trump's anti-DEI policies are hurting college-educated Black women

"A new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute this week captures how Black women have been uniquely impacted by fluctuations in the economy and repeated cuts to the workforce over the last year-including Trump's directive to trim headcount across the federal government. That decision drove out about 277,000 workers. In 2025, the rate of employment among Black women dipped to 55.7%, a decrease of 1.4 percentage points."

"As unemployment steadily climbed from 5.8% to 6.7% during 2025, Black women's overall labor force participation dropped from 60.6% to 59.7%, indicating that more Black women have either left the workforce or stopped looking for a job. This shift in employment also appears to have largely affected Black women with college degrees. "I was surprised at the magnitude of the decline for college-educated Black women," says Valerie Wilson, the director of the EPI's Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy."

Employers added 130,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, but gains were uneven across workers. Federal workforce cuts, including a directive to trim headcount, removed about 277,000 workers. Employment among Black women fell to 55.7% in 2025, a 1.4 percentage-point decline and one of the sharpest one-year drops in 25 years. Unemployment rose from 5.8% to 6.7% during 2025 while Black women’s labor force participation declined from 60.6% to 59.7%, indicating exits or discouraged jobseekers. The employment rate for Black women with at least a bachelor’s degree fell by over 3.5 percentage points. Two possible explanations are an early signal of a broader slowdown and that Black workers are often the first affected in downturns.

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