In August, the employment data in the United States showed significant gender differences: in terms of new employment, women’s contribution to job growth was 40 times that of men.
CNBC’s analysis of the data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on September 4 revealed that the total non-farm employment in the US increased by 162,000, with women accounting for 158,000 of the new jobs, representing about 98% of all new employment. Meanwhile, men only saw an increase of 4,000 job positions.
Laura Ullrich, Director of Economic Research at Indeed Hiring Lab, expressed that the unprecedented disparity between male and female employment numbers is noteworthy.
BLS data also indicated that over the past 12 months, the number of employed women in the US has increased by over 870,000 after seasonal adjustments, while the number of employed men has decreased by nearly 1.5 million.
The growth in female employment outpacing that of men is primarily attributed to industries where women have had higher employment rates over the past year, such as healthcare and social assistance sectors, which have been significant sources of job growth.
Last month, there was a significant recovery in local government and education sector employment, adding a total of 42,000 positions, approximately a quarter of the total new employment in the country. In education, training, and library-related positions, women accounted for about three-quarters of the workforce.
Ullrich pointed out that strong growth in female employment has also been observed in traditionally male-dominated industries such as manufacturing.
In August, the unemployment rate for women was 3.9%, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the same period in 2025, while the male unemployment rate remained at 4.4%, unchanged from the previous year. The overall non-farm employment increased by 162,000, exceeding economists’ earlier expectations by three times.
Heather Long, Chief Economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, mentioned that monthly male and female employment data may exhibit significant fluctuations, and that it is essential to focus more on long-term trends.
Ullrich also noted that on average, women earn less than men, and the higher proportion of new employment among women may be due to an increase in recruiting for low-paying positions. Furthermore, the rise in female employment may indicate an increase in women working multiple jobs simultaneously, potentially overextending their personal energy and physical well-being, which may not necessarily be a positive development.