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When I launched Unemployment Awareness Month on August 1, 2025, I wanted it to have a symbol people could recognize and wear, the way awareness ribbons do for so many other causes. So I designed a green-and-white ribbon.
[Add the story of designing it: when the idea came to you, why a ribbon, and anything you tried before you settled on this one.]
Green: growth and renewal
Green stands for growth: the next chapter, the new skills people build while they're between jobs, and the chance that the next opportunity is closer than it feels. Job hunting can feel like standing still. Green is a reminder that people are still growing the whole time.
[Add anything personal that green means to you.]
White: a clean slate
White stands for a fresh start, and for the hope that comes with one. Losing a job can feel like an ending. It can also be a clean page. White is for the dignity of starting again, without shame and without having to explain yourself.
[Add anything personal that white means to you.]
Two colors, one ribbon
Green and white sit side by side in the ribbon on purpose. Unemployment is hard, and hope belongs in the picture too. The ribbon isn't meant to make job hunting look easy. It's meant to say you're seen, and you're not alone.
Wear it with whatever meaning fits your own story. If you've been out of work, it can stand for where you've been. If you're supporting someone, it can show them you're in their corner. And if you're an employer, pair it with the Hiring for Good badge to show you give people between jobs a fair look.
How to wear it
- Online: download the ribbon from the toolkit and add it to your profile picture, your banner or your August posts with #UnemploymentAwarenessMonth and #HiringForGood.
- In person: satin ribbons (with a safety pin on the back) are coming for August 2027. Get notified when ribbons are available.
- At work: share it in a team channel or an all-hands, and talk about how your team can hire for good.
[Add a closing line in your own words: what you hope people feel when they see someone wearing the ribbon.]
— Peter