Rep. Ayanna Pressley Pushing For Action To Address Unemployment Rate For Black Women

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Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is pushing for action to address the unemployment rate for Black women following the release of the September jobs report. The report, which was delayed over the government shutdown, reveals a troubling trend: Black women are affected the most.

According to the report, the unemployment rate for Black women is 7.5%. Rep. Pressley, who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, is calling on the Federal Reserve to take action.

“These numbers are damning and confirm what we’ve long known to be true: under Donald J. Trump, Black women continue to face a crisis of disproportionately high unemployment,” said Pressley.

Pressley added that Trump’s “reckless mass firings,” along with a growing affordability crisis, and relentless attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives, have hurt Black women in the workforce.

“As the primary breadwinners for many households, Black women are the backbones of our families and our economy,” said Pressley. “Their systematic pushout not only has dangerous consequences for Black women, Black families, Black futures. It is also a glaring red flag for the entire U.S. economy.”

A Weakening Economy, Experts Warn Amid Jobs Report Release

A little more than a month after its scheduled release date of Oct. 3, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) September jobs report was released after the most extended government shutdown in history. According to the report, 119,000 jobs were added in September, but experts warn that the numbers are a little more complex than that and reveal a slowdown in the labor market.

The unemployment rate jumped to 4.4% in September, up from 4.3% and the pace of wage growth slowed. Then, companies such as Amazon, General Motors, IBM, Microsoft, and others announced plans to lay off tens of thousands of employees.

Experts at the Center for American Progress say the uncertainty brought on by President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, the “slash-and-burn” of the federal government, and historic cuts to healthcare and social services have led to a hiring slowdown and layoffs.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley Calls On The Fed To Intervene On Behalf Of Black Women

In a letter addressed to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Pressley asked for the Fed to take immediate action.

“The U.S. Federal Reserve has a statutory mandate to promote maximum employment, and that must be true for all people, regardless of race and gender,” Pressley wrote.

According to the congresswoman, 6.7% of Black women faced unemployment in August 2025, a figure above the national average of 4.3%.

“This disparity should not go overlooked as unemployment of Black women is a key metric of the health of the U.S. economy,” she said.

The congresswoman noted that Black women are more likely than any other demographic group to be enrolled in higher education. Black women also represent the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs and are disproportionately the breadwinners for their families.