Black women experienced steep employment losses last year in one of the sharpest annual declines in 25 years. An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute says Black women’s employment rate fell 1.4% to 55.7%, with the decline most pronounced among college graduates and public-sector workers. Employment rose in two growing sectors, the education and health services industry, but plummeted 25% in manufacturing and 21% in financial services. By contrast, black men reported a total net gain in employment. “The biggest looming question remains unanswered,” the report notes. “Why do federal and private-sector employment losses seem so targeted to Black women? Whether those losses are an early indication of more widespread job losses to come — or casualties of anti-equity backlash in action — could become clearer in the months ahead.”
