“College-educated women are the only gender and education group whose labor-force participation rate is back at its pre-pandemic level,” says Pew Research senior researcher Richard Fry.
QUICK FACTS:
- Pew Research released an analysis of the current U.S. labor force, revealing a greater number of college-educated women within the job market than pre-Covid years.
- In 2019, there were 29.1 million women over the age of 25 in the labor force.
- During the pandemic, women were more likely to keep their jobs due to being more engaged in health and education-related professions than men.
- As of Spring 2022, 31.3 million women obtained at least a bachelor’s degree and entered the workforce, now comprising 50.7% of the degree-attaining workforce population.
- Although the number of men achieving a college degree also increased to 30.5 million from 29.1 million, their participation in the labor force has not risen at the same rate as women.
- Among women who have a college degree, 69.6% have entered the job market, whereas other groups, including degreed men, have lower rates of labor participation, dipping slightly between 2020 and 2021.
U.S. JOB MARKET SHIFTS
- FlexJobs conducted a survey on remote working in 2021, concluding that 68% of women prefer the remote workplace in comparison to 57% of men.
- Considering the rapid transformation of working from home, more women are likely to enter the labor force or keep their jobs if there is a remote option (80%).
- 69% of men reported that remote working is not an important factor for a job.
BACKGROUND:
- In August, 315,000 jobs were created, despite the unemployment rising to 3.7% from 3.5%.
- According to a LinkedIn survey, women apply for jobs more selectively, desiring to meet all the qualifications, whereas men apply for jobs after meeting 60% of the criterion.
- Although applying for jobs less frequently, the survey suggested, women are more likely to be hired.
