We draw several findings:
- Unemployment Rising: Between 2024 and 2025, there were sharp increases in unemployment for Black Californians. Younger and prime working age Black Californians (age groups 18-34 and 35-54, respectively) were among the groups most affected. Additionally, unemployment increased across all levels of educational attainment, especially for Black women with some college or more.
- Employment Stability Overall: However, overall, employment levels declined only slightly for Black Californians over this period.
- Involuntary Part-Time Employment Rising: The relative employment stability masked negative employment shifts as involuntary part-time employment increased markedly, especially among Black college-educated men.
- Government Employment Declines: Relative employment stability also masked declines in government (state and local) employment, especially for the most educated Black women.
- Institutional Disconnection Rising: Finally, employment stability masked institutional disconnection (defined as being neither employed nor enrolled in schooling) increased over this period, especially for Black women, younger and prime-working-age Black Californians, and those with less education.
These findings indicate that over a very short period of time, many employment pathways used to advance or maintain middle-class status for Black Californians are at risk. At every level of educational attainment and across most age groups, Black Californian families and communities face increased stress from the loss of income and benefits from both the decline in employment and the shift in work from full to part-time. The report highlights several important policy recommendations for California to advance Black employment in this age of unprecedented attacks on policies and programs that have slowed Black economic advancement.