Buried deep in the U.S. government’s December jobs report was an interesting piece of data—women hold more jobs than men, occupying 50.04% of positions.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are now 109,000 more women working than men. It’s believed by experts that this trend will continue and gain more momentum as the number of working women increases, while the amount of men in the workforce declines.
Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody’s said, “Women are now the majority of the workforce, and there’s no looking back.” Zandi added, “Women are going to increasingly dominate the labor market.”
The continued growth in employment for women parallels the economic shift away from so-called traditional male-dominated jobs, in sectors such as manufacturing, toward a service-based business model.
Sectors that employ more women are growing, whereas jobs historically associated with men are in a decline, according to Ariane Hegewish, program director of Employment and Earnings at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Hegewish stated, “The sectors that are growing, like education and healthcare, are predominantly women’s employment.” The December jobs report confirms this and indicates that education and health services, which are seen as more female dominated, added 36,000 jobs. Jobs in the mining and manufacturing sectors—viewed primarily as male-oriented industries—lost 21,000 jobs collectively. Women are also highly represented in government service jobs, standing at 58%, and holding 56% of positions in financial-related roles.
