This has been a tumultuous year for jobs, and two words have been in the headlines a lot lately: unemployment and layoffs.
The labor market is weakening. In other words, job growth is slowing and securing steady employment is getting more challenging. 2025 saw the highest number of layoffs since the pandemic, with over 1.1 million job cuts. Sudden mass layoffs of federal workers, courtesy of the Trump administration, in the first half of the year pushed out about 300,000 federal workers alone.
Black women were pushed out of the labor force this year in dizzyingly concerning numbers with more than 300,000 being forced out of public and private sector work. Federal government layoffs and companies rolling back DEI contributed significantly.
The overall unemployment rate is 4.4%, as of September 2025, but that number is deceiving and doesn’t paint the full picture. Black women’s unemployment rate shot up from 5.4% in February to 7.5% in September, more than 3% higher than the average unemployment rate. Young people are also facing a higher unemployment rate.
Recent college graduates, those between 22 and 27 years old, are struggling to find work. Their unemployment rate has been increasing since 2022 and is the highest it’s been since then: 9.7%, according to September Federal Reserve data. This risks long-lasting effects throughout their entire careers, akin to those who graduated during the Great Recession and faced lower lifetime earning potential.
If work felt hard this year or headlines felt increasingly daunting, you’re not alone. People are clinging tighter to their jobs, fearing instability. Others have taken to social media and forums to talk about facing increased feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness as they continue on longer-than-usual job searches. Give yourself grace if you’re in the midst of a job search and feeling constantly rejected.
Right now, many of us need to lean on each other to keep infinite hope. Now is the time to engage with your community and show up for one another, whether that means offering emotional support, sharing your network, or offering to share resources and expertise. If you are laid off, it is of utmost importance to apply for unemployment and benefits in the state where you worked as soon as possible.