By the time summer 2025 comes to a close, over 300,000 Black women —and counting—will have found themselves pushed out of work, once again the face of America’s ongoing battle with race, gender, and economic equity in the workplace.
Despite over 175,000 jobs being added to the U.S. economy since the beginning of the year, the unemployment rate for Black women has risen to 5.8%—significantly higher than the national average of 4.2% and nearly double that of white women (3.1%).
Economists at The 19th point to federal job cuts and corporate rollbacks of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives—once hailed as progress in the post-2020 racial reckoning—as contributing factors.
And then there’s AI: administrative and office support roles, where Black women are overrepresented, are increasingly at risk of displacement due to automation.
Navigating the Financial and Emotional Toll of a Layoff
Whether a layoff comes suddenly or follows a string of warning signs—declining sales, missed revenue projections, scattered communication strategies, or spending freezes—Black women are often left to weather the emotional and financial aftermath alone.
“The fear was real and heavy. I kept thinking: ‘How will I pay my bills? What type of job can I get, and how much will it pay? There are no jobs. The market is flooded,” says Regina Stone, life and business strategist, who’s been laid off twice in five years, most recently in April 2025. “Though it’s hard to find clarity and calm in a crisis, I gave myself space to feel disappointed, but not defeated.”
For Black women navigating the swell of emotions tied to losing income and identity, New York-based therapist Roni Patterson, LMHC, reminds us: all feelings are valid. “There’s no one ‘normal’ reaction to a layoff,” Patterson says. “Anxiety, frustration, shame, anger—it’s all common. The key is not to get stuck in any one emotion. You want to allow yourself to feel, and then move through it.”
Patterson recommends a few simple steps to help cope:
Acknowledge what you’re experiencing.
“There’s power in naming the feeling,” says Patterson. Use simple prompts like ‘I am feeling…’ can bring awareness to buried emotions.
Attend to the emotion.
If you feel anxious or inundated with overpowering energy, choose activities that “soothe and smooth,” like baths, music, or long walks to help you reconnect with your body. If you feel paralyzed by your emotions, try energizing activities like an intensive workout, upbeat music, or even sunlight exposure.
Share with people you trust.
Even though many people are experiencing job loss right now, it’s important to normalize talking about what you’re going through in safe spaces. “When we don’t share, we can feel alone,” Patterson warns. “This is how shame manifests and what it feeds off of.”
Grieve the loss intentionally.
Patterson suggests giving yourself space to mourn the loss of your job—not just the position, but the life, relationships, and sense of identity that came with it. Your financial situation, however, will shape what that mourning process looks like. “Be honest and assess whether you can afford to pause and process before moving forward with the job search,” Patterson says. “If that’s not an option, be targeted about how much time you dedicate to applications each week, so you also leave space to process your feelings around this major life transition.”
Why Emotional Well-Being Is the Key to Career Resilience
It’s a common misconception that taking the time to attend to your emotional well-being is a distraction from your career progress. Developing the skill of protecting your peace is foundational to building career resilience. “Every job has an expiration date. You just hope it’s on your terms,” says Aundrea Cline-Thomas, career strategist and founder of Mountain Court Media. “We have to stop playing by outdated rules. Black women need to build an ecosystem that gives us the freedom to choose our next best thing.”
This mindset shift—accepting change as inevitable—can empower Black women to build both career longevity and financial security. Cline-Thomas offers a five-part blueprint to proactively prepare for a job loss, even when work feels stable:
Position yourself for growth.
Don’t skip those company-wide town halls or ignore internal newsletters. Pay attention to what your company is prioritizing and where it’s headed. That insight helps you identify the skills to sharpen, the people to know, and the projects that align with your future.
Grow your network.
Your next opportunity often comes from your relationships, not job boards. Attend professional events, join industry groups, and follow up with people genuinely. “Start with how you can help them,” Aundrea says. And while affinity spaces for Black women are vital, don’t limit your network by industry, race, or ethnicity.
Mind your money.
“Money is a tool to buy you time,” Cline-Thomas says. Job searches can take six months or more. Having savings keeps you from relying on credit cards and digging yourself into debt. Also, consider monetizing your skillset as an entrepreneur —even temporarily— to support yourself in between positions.
Share your value on LinkedIn.
Don’t wait until you’re laid off to post the green ‘Open to Work’ banner. Instead, consistently share your knowledge and expertise. “I’ve had paid opportunities come directly to my inbox because I tell my story over and over again,” she shares.
Make supporting you easy. “The biggest mistake I see my community making is keeping their hardship to themselves,” Cline-Thomas observes. Support can come in many forms: introductions, encouragement, and, yes, paid opportunities.
Keep Your Head Up and Don’t Get Confused about Your Worth
According to 2024 Pew Research, Black women are still leading academically, graduating from U.S. colleges and universities at higher rates than their Black male counterparts. So when all of that effort, ambition, and excellence are met with pink slips and pay gaps, it cuts deep.
But taking it personally can only trap us in cycles of shame that will never serve us. “Sometimes we treat jobs like personal relationships we own, with expectations that don’t align with how businesses work. A hard truth is, the relationships you build at work are one thing; the business decisions being made are another. Don’t confuse the two,” reflects Stone.
A layoff, ironically, can help us reconnect with our self-worth. “When we experience disruptions in our career, it emphasizes the need for there to be balance in our sense of self; if our sense of self is based solely on things that are external—it can always be taken away,” says Patterson. “A job loss can be an opportunity and invitation to be intentional about finding purpose in our lives in areas outside of work.”
Whether it takes another two months or twelve to land your next role, prioritizing your well-being will be the lynchpin for maintaining your confidence, self-worth, and resilience throughout the journey.
Kara Stevens is the founder of The Frugal Feminista and author of heal your relationship with money.