Rep. Ayanna Pressley is calling on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to address the disproportionate rise in unemployment among Black workers, especially Black women, as new jobs data reveals growing disparities. In a letter sent on September 8, 2025, Pressley urged the Fed to fulfill its mandate of maximizing employment and requested comprehensive data specifically on Black women’s employment trends and their broader impact on the labor market.
Pressley highlighted that the unemployment rate for Black women stood at 6.7% in August, significantly higher than the national average of 4.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This persistent gap has been a source of concern for months, with rates hovering near or above 6% since March 2025.
Citing research from the Center for American Progress, Pressley emphasized Black women’s pivotal role in the economy: they are more likely than any other group to be enrolled in higher education, are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, and disproportionately serve as family breadwinners. Despite these contributions, they face mounting employment challenges amid a broader slowdown in job openings and hires since July 2024.
Pressley also pointed to mass layoffs within the federal workforce and intensified attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives under President Donald Trump’s administration as key factors worsening the situation for Black women. Black women, who make up 12% of federal employees but only 7% of the overall labor market, are overrepresented in agencies hardest hit by cuts, such as the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
Between February and March 2025, 266,000 Black women lost jobs, marking the steepest decline since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Over the past year, the number of Black women in federal jobs fell by an estimated 33%, compared to a 3.7% decrease in the overall federal workforce. In April alone, Black women lost 38,000 federal jobs, the highest among all demographic groups, with unemployment rising by 106,000.
Pressley warned that the Trump administration’s policies are undermining the economy by forcing out the skills, innovation, and experience that Black women bring to the labor market. She called on the Federal Reserve to develop a detailed plan to address these disparities and uphold fair employment practices in the face of federal policies she described as fiscally irresponsible.
Pressley requested a formal response from Chair Powell by September 30, 2025, outlining specific steps the Fed will take to tackle the rising unemployment rate among Black women, reiterating their vital contributions to the nation’s economic health.
