Summary
Black workers make up a large and growing share of the U.S. work force. Since 1972, the share of the civilian work force identifying as Black has increased by 30 percent. This Issue Brief uses data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research’s 2025 Workplace Wellness Survey (WWS), which included an oversample of Black workers to better understand their opinions about their employer and how they value their workplace-sponsored benefits, as well as the challenges they face balancing work, life, and finances. Understanding how Black workers assess their wellbeing, engage with employer-sponsored benefits, and view their employer’s responsibilities can lead to smarter plan designs and subsequently improved wellbeing as well as drive business outcomes, such as higher levels of job satisfaction.
Key Findings
- Black workers were systematically more likely than non-Black workers to report that they had high levels of concern about their household’s wellbeing across four dimensions: financial, mental, physical, and workplace. The largest gap was in financial wellbeing, with 34 percent of Black workers reporting high levels of concern, compared with 24 percent of non-Black workers. A majority of both Black and non-Black workers alike believe that their employer has a responsibility to ensure employee wellbeing.
- Black and non-Black workers alike commonly reported negative experiences at work such as loneliness, performing at a lower level than they were capable of, and not caring about their job. However, Black workers were disproportionately more likely than non-Black workers to report burnout (49 percent vs. 42 percent) and stress (34 percent vs. 27 percent), reflecting their concern over their workplace wellbeing. Black workers were also less likely to report positive experiences at work, such as feeling valued for their contributions (21 percent vs. 26 percent) and having social connections with colleagues (also 21 percent vs. 26 percent).
- Black workers tended to report higher levels of interest in benefits that their employer did not currently offer. In particular, Black workers reported stronger interest when compared with non-Black workers in emergency savings accounts (87 percent vs. 75 percent), long-term care insurance (80 percent vs. 69 percent), and earned wage access (80 percent vs. 55 percent). Of 14 potential benefits their employer did not currently offer, Black workers were more likely than non-Black workers to report interest in all but one.
- When asked how employers could make sure employees were financially secure and well, both Black and non-Black workers were most likely to respond that their employer could offer higher wages. However, Black workers were disproportionately more likely to suggest educating employees on savings and budgeting (20 percent vs. 13 percent) or offering/enhancing mental health benefits (16 percent vs. 9 percent), while non-Black workers were more likely to respond with contributing/contributing more to a retirement savings plan (38 percent vs. 24 percent).
- While Black and non-Black workers alike were stressed by saving in case of an emergency and their job security, Black workers were more likely than non-Black workers to be stressed by paying their monthly bills (44 percent vs. 38 percent), while non-Black workers were more likely to be stressed by saving enough for retirement (47 percent vs. 34 percent), reflecting a concern over short-term cash flow.