Women were the big job market gainers last year
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Women's History Month is here, along with some data showing that women drove most of the job growth in the U.S. last year.
Why it matters: The strongest areas for job growth were in health care and education, two areas where women dominate.
- On the flip-side, male-dominated sectors, like construction, had less growth, in part because the White House immigration crackdown made it harder to find workers.
Zoom in: Last year, the number of jobs added by women was nearly three times the rate of men, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics highlighted in a new report from Bank of America Institute.
- Private education and health care — where women account for 77% of workers — drove the increase, the report explains. Those sectors added around 800,000 jobs in 2025.
- All other sectors, including the government, lost around 500,000 jobs.
Reality check: It was a weak year for the job market overall. Black women, for instance, saw a spike in unemployment.
What to watch: We'll get a better sense of the labor market tomorrow, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases employment data for February.
- The January report found that health care was still driving much of the nation's job growth this year. Construction employment showed signs of improvement, after growth was essentially flat in 2025, per the report.
