U.S. Job Market Report Shows Gender Employment Shift as Women Outnumber Men for Eight Consecutive Months
- As of September 2026, women have outnumbered men in the workforce for the longest stretch since 2010.
- U.S. payrolls increased by only 29,000 jobs in September, below the expected 84,000.
- Men saw a decline of 1.2 million employed year-over-year, while women’s employment rose by over 650,000.
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The jobs report released on Friday revealed a disappointing increase in U.S. employment, with a net gain of only 29,000 jobs for September, contrasting sharply with economists’ forecasts predicting an increase of 84,000 jobs. This trend may particularly affect men in the workforce.
According to an analysis of government data by Indeed, women have outnumbered men in the workforce for the past eight months, marking the longest duration since 2010. Cory Stahle, senior economist at Indeed, commented, “Back then, the gap emerged because men were losing jobs. This time, it’s because women are gaining them.”
Gender Differences in Employment Dynamics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that men accounted for just over half of the net job growth in September. In August, men’s contribution to payroll growth was only 2%, according to CNBC’s analysis of the BLS data.
Despite the overall increase in jobs, the number of employed men in the U.S. fell by approximately 1.2 million compared to the previous year, while women’s employment rose by more than 650,000 during the same timeframe.
This disparity in employment growth is partially attributed to the industries experiencing growth. Healthcare has been a vital sector for job creation, contributing more than half of the overall payroll expansion in September. Women constitute nearly four out of every five workers in this sector.
However, the BLS noted that healthcare hiring slowed in September compared to the average pace over the past year, which may have limited the boost women typically receive from this sector. Additionally, payroll contractions in industries like government, which employ a higher percentage of women, further diluted the overall gains for women in the labor market this month, according to Stahle.
News Courtesy of CNBC
