U.S. Labor Department’s social media messaging accused of not realistically portraying diversity

According to 2024 federal labor data, 47 percent of workers are women, while 13 percent are Black or African American. 20 percent of the workforce is Hispanic or Latino.

The U.S. Labor Department is making a stark change in its messaging on social media, focusing less on a diverse assortment of employees and laborers concerning gender and race, and instead concentrating on white males.

The move is considered an effort to promote the hiring of American citizens over foreign workers, but critics argue the art and messaging are “not realistically portraying the diversity of the country’s workforce,” given that white men are considered a “minority” in the workforce.

Labor Department spokeswoman Courtney Parella, in a statement, called out The Washington Post for allegedly “manufacturing outrage that doesn’t exist” with the posters and questioned whether the images were AI-generated.

“Twisting social media posts celebrating American workers and the American Dream into a race story is absurd,” Parella added.

Images from the Department of Labor's new social media ad campaign… pic.twitter.com/gC9KDXkszm— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) October 27, 2025

The posters, which featured various white men standing in front of images such as the Statue of Liberty and a map of the country, feature slogans such as “Your Nation Needs You!” “Build Your Homeland’s Future!” and “Make America Skilled Again!” Only one of the posters features a woman alongside another man in a hard hat with the quote, “Skilled Workforce, Strong America!” attached.

According to Renee Hobbs, a professor at the University of Rhode Island who teaches media literacy, the Labor Department’s social media campaign aligns with the four tenets of propaganda that she teaches. Strong emotions are being activated by the images, information, and ideas are being simplified, opponents are being attacked, and the photos appeal to people’s “deepest hopes, fears, and dreams.”

“It was so surprising to see these images in part because we’re so used to seeing multicultural representation in everything,” Hobbs told The Washington Post. “So this definitely sends a message.”

According to 2024 federal labor data, 47 percent of workers are women, while 13 percent are Black or African American and 20 percent of the workforce is Hispanic or Latino. In the eyes of Judy Conti, the director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, the images related to the current workforce makeup are a larger issue.

“This isn’t a dog whistle,” Conti said. “This is a loud trumpet blaring that white men who are supporting their wives and children are worthy of good jobs.”