Black women are gaining ground in the labor market but still face unique barriers

A decrease in the unemployment rate of Black women is heartening, but labor experts warn that the trend shouldn’t create any false notions about equity in the workforce.

The unemployment rate for the entire Black population has avoided ticking up since August, coming in at 5.4% in January, according to seasonally adjusted data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday.

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January’s drop in Black unemployment was propelled by gains made by Black women, whose unemployment rate excluding teenagers dropped to 4.7% in January from 5.5% in December. Black men, by comparison, saw unemployment tick up to 5.3% in January from 5.1% in December.

Both the rate of unemployment for all Black people and for women specifically are at their lowest levels in more than a year. The last time the Black unemployment rate was below 5.5% was in September 2019, while Black women last had a sub-5% unemployment rate in November 2021.

The unemployment rates of white, Asian and Hispanic/Latino workers all increased from December to January. Still, Black workers have the highest unemployment rate when compared with white, Asian and Hispanic/Latino workers.

“Sometimes when folks see improvement, they see it as positive, but the disparities are still there,” said Kate Bahn, director of labor market policy and chief economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. “Convergence is good, but it’s still not equal.”

Bahn said the relatively higher rate can be attributed specifically to anti-Black racism. She pointed to the discrimination Black people face in hiring and the increased likelihood of layoffs Black workers experience as two examples. While a tight labor market can help mitigate some of these challenges for Black workers, policy changes would be required to create a more just labor field, she said.

Black women had bigger gains in…