Overview

• August BLS data show the economy added just 22,000 jobs as the national unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent and unemployed workers outnumbered job openings for the first time since 2021.
• The unemployment rate for Black Americans climbed to 7.5 percent, up from 6.0 percent in May and the highest since 2021, while the white jobless rate held around 3.7 percent.
• Analysts link the disparity to sweeping federal cuts and anti‑DEI actions, with DOGE cited in 292,279 planned layoffs this year and nearly 200,000 federal departures, and Black workers representing 18.6 percent of the federal workforce.
• Black women have suffered especially large losses, with an estimated 319,000 leaving jobs, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley has asked Fed Chair Jerome Powell for data and a response to the risks.
• Economists warn the spike in Black joblessness is a potential recession signal, pointing to ongoing losses in manufacturing and government tied to tariffs and civil‑service reductions.