As COVID-19 restrictions ease, the male workforce is stepping back to a pre-pandemic rhythm. For women, however, job restoration has been slower, USA Today reported Aug. 21.
The Labor Department's survey of employers showed that as of July, men had recovered their jobs to their February 2020 levels — even adding 132,000. However, the same survey shows women, who lost 1.8 million more jobs than men during the pandemic, are still 100,000 jobs away from pre-COVID levels.
The Labor Department's household survey, which determines unemployment rates, charted a larger discrepancy: Although men showed up 24,000 jobs behind pre-pandemic levels, women lagged at 552,000 below.
Moody's Analytics economists attribute this to industry differences, according to USA Today. Women dominate many of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic; they account for 77.1 percent of the staff in education and healthcare services, for example. Meanwhile, industries dominated by men, such as construction and warehousing, swelled as people — working remotely and stuck inside — invested in their homes.
Despite a lower recovery rate, women are 1 percent below their pre-pandemic workforce participation while men are 1.7 percent behind, the report said.