Women's employment hits new record high
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A record share of working-age women are employed, according to data out Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Why it matters: It's a remarkable comeback story. Women have not only regained their pandemic losses in the job market, they've been exceeding those numbers month after month.
Zoom in: In May, 75.7% of all women age 25-54 were working — a record high.
- There was also another increase in employment in the childcare sector, which has enabled more women to work, says Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter.
- "People are actually able to drop their kids off," she says, adding that for a while some centers would turn away parents on days when they were understaffed.
The big picture: Working-age men's employment rate is hovering around pre-pandemic levels — it was 86.4% in February 2020 and 86% in May 2024.
Reality check: It seems like women have come a long way. But the employment number in May 2024 is only a smidge higher than nearly a quarter-century ago when 74.9% of working-age women were employed.
Go deeper: Hiring blows past expectations, showing lingering labor market heat
