A new report from the U.S. Bureau of Statistics projects that black women will make up the larger share of African-American labor force by the year 2026.
The figures show a contrast to a trend that has been in motion since the turn of the century. The black labor force participation rate has been declining since its peak in 2000.
The largest drop was in 2009, after the 2007–09 recession, to 62.4 percent, which was a decline of 1.3 percentage points relative to the 2008 rate. The decline has continued, registering at 61.6 percent in 2016. BLS projects the labor force participation rate of Blacks to decline even further in the 2016–26 decade.
In 1972, Black men made up 55.3 percent of the Black labor force, and Black women made up 44.7 percent. In the last four decades, the share of Black men in the labor force has declined, while the share of Black women has increased. In 1988, both men and women made up an equal share of the Black labor force. From 1989 to 2000, the share of Black women increased to 53 percent and the share of Black men declined to 47 percent. The rates for both women and men have stabilized since then. BLS projects these rates to be relatively flat in the 2016–26 decade.