The Latest Employment Report Contained Some Big News For Women

Although there’s still plenty of room for improvement, the disparities between men and women in the workforce have clearly diminished in recent years. And the latest evidence of this positive trend came on Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest jobs report.

A narrower gap

COVID-19 took a massive toll on the employment market across virtually every demographic category. Men and women alike saw their jobless numbers climb amid widespread shutdowns.

But the good news in the May employment numbers is that the market is regaining its pre-pandemic strength … and then some. This is particularly evident among women, as evidenced by these stats:

• More than 3 in 4 women between 25 and 54 were employed last month.
• That’s the highest percentage ever recorded in the agency’s monthly report.
• May was the latest in a line of month-over-month gains by working-age women.

Of course, at 86%, the employment rate for working-age men was still more than 10 points higher. But regardless of gender, the post-COVID recovery seems to be complete.

More work to do

At first glance, there’s plenty to be optimistic about in the latest jobs numbers. Taking a look at the employment rate for women in a historical context, however, shows that the progress might not be as dramatic as some headlines would make it seem.

Sure, the 75.7% statistic is an all-time high, but it’s less than one point higher than where women were more than two decades ago. Nevertheless, ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak says there’s reason to expect more gains in women’s employment.

She noted a recent boost in childcare employment, which serves to create jobs while also freeing up more parents (particularly women) to work outside the home.

“People are actually able to drop their kids off,” Pollak explained.

Chris Agee June 8th, 2024

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