Today’s alarming Jobs Report continues recent trends: Black women continue to bear the brunt of a dramatic economic slowdown, and newly revised data for the last few months reveal a worsening economy. Our analysis shows that since April the U.S. economy has only added 107,000 jobs. Over this period, women have gained a mere 163,000 jobs, while men have actually lost 56,000 jobs.
The slowing economy since April has been driven by losses in manufacturing, professional and business services, and the federal government, reflecting chaotic tariff policies and the disastrous attacks on public servants. Growth in the health care industry is sustaining women’s meager job growth – though that industry will likely see cuts in the wake of the Republican spending law that slashed health care for millions of Americans.
While workers across the board are harmed by Trump’s economic policies, today’s data make clear that Trump’s economic policies are targeting the building blocks of the middle class, hitting Black families especially hard. Unemployment rates for Black men and women both increased in August, with Black women’s unemployment rate jumping from 6.3 percent to 6.7 percent, the highest it’s been in nearly 4 years.
Black women’s unemployment rate in August was more than double that of white women (3.2 percent), though white women’s unemployment also crept up last month. Latinas’ unemployment rate also jumped from 4.5 percent to 4.9 percent in August, underscoring that while the Trump economy is not working for anyone, workers of color are the first to feel the pain.
Today’s data are the first to be released since Trump’s firing of respected Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer last month, a move National Partnership’s President Jocelyn Frye called “a textbook strategy of authoritarian rulers.” While today’s data are both timely and valid, Trump’s nominee for BLS Commissioner, E.J. Antoni, has suggested suspending the monthly Jobs Report. This proposal would be disastrous for businesses and policymakers who rely on these data for sound economic decisionmaking. This proposal would also harm workers across the board but it would especially impact women of color, who – as evidenced by today’s data – are often the first to feel the pain of economic downturns.
Antoni – who holds controversial theories about gender and IQ and ran a misogynistic, racist and antisemitic Twitter account – is unqualified for a critical position that relies on objective, non-partisan research analysis. The country deserves timely, reliable, trustworthy data that address the needs of all communities and enable us to make smart, equitable decisions about the nation’s future. Installing Antoni as BLS Commissioner would undermine these critical efforts.
Today’s data demonstrate just one harmful consequence of the Trump administration’s relentless assault on women’s position in society. This administration is bombarding Black women on all fronts by cutting critical health care, dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and slashing federal jobs; attacking immigrant women and their families; demonizing transwomen; and paying lip service to policies that support families while actively undermining their economic security. The National Partnership will continue to fight back against this assault on women’s health, security and freedoms.
