Philadelphia hearing spotlights job losses for Black women and local policy options

Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on Finance held a public hearing on Resolution 251034 to examine the state of the economy for Black women and to gather recommendations from academics, community leaders and city officials.

Majority Leader and Committee Chair Katherine Gilmore Richardson opened the hearing by calling the topic urgent and noting national and local signs that Black women are disproportionately affected by recent labor‑market shifts. "There are too many Philadelphiaians who are struggling right now within this economy," the chair said as she introduced three panels of witnesses.

Three labor economists summarized national and local measurements of the problem and proposed policy responses. Dr. Michelle Holder, a labor economist, cited Bureau of Labor Statistics figures and research showing large employment and lifetime‑earnings gaps: "Black women lost 319,000 jobs in the public and the private sectors between February and July of 2025," she said, adding that Black women earn roughly "64 cents" for every dollar earned by a white man in Philadelphia data she cited. Holder recommended pay‑transparency laws and prohibiting employers from requesting prior salary history as local policy levers to reduce wage inequities.

Dr. Rhonda Von Sharp pressed the council to read disaggregated and revised data carefully. Sharp identified revisions to public reporting and BLS updates, saying an earlier widely circulated figure was incorrect and that the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ revision placed the February–July 2025 net decline closer to 226,000. She stressed that labor‑force growth has outpaced job creation and that the issue is often one of job availability and discriminatory hiring practices rather than individual workers "exiting" employment voluntarily.

Dr. Valerie Wilson of the Economic Policy Institute underlined that federal job cuts were a major driver in 2025 and that college‑educated Black women and public‑sector employees suffered large losses. Wilson cited national figures showing slower job growth (181,000 jobs in 2025) and said federal employment fell substantially in 2025, amplifying effects in metros with sizable federal workforces, including Philadelphia. She urged cities and states to strengthen unemployment insurance and fair‑employment enforcement as protective measures.

City officials from the Commerce Department described existing local programs intended to support small businesses and job creation. Hoise Jettison, deputy director and chief of staff at Commerce, said the department invested $42.3 million in 2025 across community partners, including $13.1 million in grants and forgivable loans to more than 640 businesses, and highlighted the Philadelphia Business Lending Network and a Quality Jobs program that supported 441 new jobs in 2025.

Community and nonprofit witnesses framed recommended local actions around investment and targeted supports. Joanne Bell of the Black Women’s Leadership Council and entrepreneurs and organizers from groups including Mom Your Business, Women’s Way and the Philly Black Worker Project asked the council to treat Black‑woman‑led employer firms as economic infrastructure, to fund employer‑readiness incubators, and to expand pathways from displacement to entrepreneurship. Several witnesses emphasized the role of caregiving and the care economy in limiting opportunities and urged policies to raise wages in low‑paid care jobs and to consider supports such as universal care income pilots.

A public commenter representing Salon Aarie recounted a denied Catalyst Grant application that city staff attributed to a tax‑status problem; the commenter asked the council and administration for better real‑time tax verification or a short remediation window to avoid excluding small Black‑woman‑owned businesses from support programs.

The committee did not hold a vote on any ordinance or resolution during the hearing; Chair Gilmore Richardson said the council will compile a report of recommendations, share the witnesses’ materials, and hold a follow‑up hearing in the coming months to gather additional testimony and next steps.

What’s next: the committee will collect written materials promised at the hearing (demographic breakdowns of recent Commerce grant recipients, suggested pilot designs, and follow‑up contacts) and reconvene for a second session to translate testimony into concrete policy proposals for the city’s budget and programs.