November jobs report shows men getting jobs, while fewer women looking for work

The latest federal employment data show that in November 2011, men fared better than women, according to CNN Money. Although unemployment rates were down for both groups, this was the result of more men getting jobs (and re-joining the labor force), whereas the decline in women’s unemployment (from 8% down to 7.8%) was the result of more women leaving the labor force. The unemployment rate for men went from 8.8% to 8.3%.

The new data confirm the trend that men are making more progress than women in terms of employment since the end of the recession, according to Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute. This is due in part to the fact that men were harder hit by unemployment during this recession, especially in male-dominated industries like construction, manufacturing and finance, whereas fields dominated by women – healthcare, education and government – were somewhat sheltered.

Men best women in scramble for new jobs, CNN.com, 2 Dec 2011.