Do Most New Jobs Go to Men or Women?

From 2009 to early 2012, 88% of new, non-agricultural job positions in the United States were filled by men. Analysts noted that many of the new jobs were in industries traditionally dominated by female employees, such as retail. Explanations for the gap include the fact that men suffered greater job losses during the US economic recession and thus returned to work in greater numbers than women. Other analysts noted that, during the recession, there were employment cuts in fields such as healthcare and education, which often employ women.

More about employment:

• In July 2012, the US Department of Labor reported that the total unemployment rate was 8.3%. The unemployment rate for men age 20 and older was 7.7%, and women's unemployment was at 7.5%.


• In October 2009, 49.9% of jobs in the US were held by women, a fact attributed to cuts in construction and finance jobs during the recession.


• In January 2012, there were 4.5 times more job seekers than there were available jobs in the US.