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The data for today’s Jobs Report, collected the week before Trump’s inauguration, show another steady month for the economy, marking over 3 years of steady job growth and unemployment rates of roughly 4 percent or lower, continuing the long era of growth since the early days of the COVID pandemic. But as we mark Black History Month – one in which we’re facing the dismantling of critical diversity, equity and inclusion programs by businesses and policymakers – we’re taking the opportunity to illuminate that while the toplines might look good, long-standing disparities harm the economic security of Black women and their families.

Understanding today’s data means putting it in historical context: our economy and country are built on the stolen lives and labor of enslaved Black women. From stealing children and reproductive autonomy to coerced essential labor in sectors such as agricultural and family care, the legacy of these policy choices has limited Black women’s economic opportunities and freedom, even as they form the bedrock of the economy, joining the formal labor force at higher rates than other groups of women.

Despite high levels of participation, Black women have long faced higher unemployment rates than their white peers (5.4 percent in January 2025 compared to 3.3 percent for white women and 3.1 percent for white men). They also confront a huge wage gap, being paid a dismal 64 cents on the white man’s dollar. These disparities are driven by misogynoir and segregation into low-wage jobs.

While Black women are more likely to work in systematically undervalued paid care and health care occupations than the workforce overall, they have also found steady, better-paid employment with the federal government. In fact, the federal government’s leadership in equitable employment practices and focus on merit over fealty means Black women’s share of the federal civilian workforce is almost double their share of the overall workforce. While the federal workforce used to be highly politicized, with jobs being handed out to supporters of the winning party, the switch to merit-based hiring in the late 1800s laid the groundwork for a more equitable workplace. Coupled with more recent civil rights victories and efforts by unions, the federal workforce has become a more equitable workplace for women, Black workers, LGBTQIA+ and disabled workers, allowing them to realize their individual potential.

Any attempt to slash the federal workforce will make us less safe, hurt our economy and harm Black women’s employment. And as NPWF President Jocelyn Frye says, “Black women are often a bellwether of how well the economy is working, especially for women.” These public servants provide essential services to keep us safe, send out millions of Social Security checks, keep up our national parks and more. Yet the Trump administration, in particular Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), is trying to politicize and push out federal workers, as well as eviscerate critical diversity, equity and inclusion efforts ushering in a modern era of overt discrimination and cronyism. With these unrelenting attacks on public servants, President Trump and Elon Musk are showing us exactly who they are: people who are happy to steal from your pocket to line theirs. We are fighting to ensure that the government delivers for workers and families instead of billionaires.

Read our full analysis of today’s Jobs Report on X (formerly Twitter).

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