Stronger Jobs Recovery Reaching Women

The deep recession that began in December 2007 cost workers nearly 7.5 million jobs before it officially ended in June 2009.  From the start of the recovery in June 2009 to May 2013, the economy added almost 5.1 million net jobs.[2]  The pace of the recovery has picked up for women after largely leaving them behind at the outset.  However, heavy public sector job losses continue to slow the recovery for women. 

Women’s job gains over the course of the recovery were held back by public sector losses.

• The economy added almost 5.1 million jobs from the start of the recovery to May 2013; women gained over 1.7 million jobs while men gained over 3.3 million jobs. Between June 2009 and May 2013, women gained back 82.2 percent of the jobs they lost in the recession, while men gained back 62.0 percent.[3]
• The private sector picked up nearly 5.8 million jobs from the start of the recovery to May 2013; women gained almost 2.2 million jobs while men gained over 3.6 million jobs. Between June 2009 and May 2013, women gained back 95.5 percent of the private sector jobs they lost in the recession, while men gained back 67.1 percent.[4]
• Heavy job losses in public sector employment have slowed the recovery, especially for women.  From the start of the recovery through May 2013, women lost 435,000 public sector jobs.  Men lost 302,000 public sector jobs over the same period.[5]  Women’s public sector losses have wiped out 19.9 percent of their private sector gains during the recovery.  For men this figure is 8.4 percent.[6]   

Women’s and men’s unemployment dropped since the start of the recovery - men’s dropped dramatically.

• Between June 2009 and May 2013, adult women’s overall unemployment rate decreased from 7.6 percent to 6.5 percent and adult men’s overall unemployment rate dropped from 9.9 percent to 7.2 percent.[7] 

Unemployment for many vulnerable groups remained high during the recovery.

• Unemployment rates for adult African-American women and men, adult Hispanic women and men, and single mothers have generally been higher than for adult women or men overall throughout the recession and recovery .
• Unemployment rates declined during the recovery for adult African-American women (11.8 percent to 11.2 percent), adult African-American men (16.3 percent to 13.5 percent), adult Hispanic women (11.5 percent to 8.1 percent), adult Hispanic men (10.7 percent to 7.2 percent), and single mothers (11.7 percent to 9.9 percent).[8]

Long-term unemployment is substantially higher than at the start of the recovery.

• The percentage of jobless workers who were still looking for work after more than six months of unemployment increased substantially since the start of the recovery, to 41.2 percent for adult women in May 2013, an increase of 11.9 percentage points, and to 41.8 percent for adult men in May 2013, an increase of 11.1 percentage points.[9]
• In May, almost 4.4 million Americans were still looking for work after more than six months.[10]

The economy still has a long way to go. Overall, just over two-thirds of the jobs lost during the recession have been regained in the recovery.  If additional population growth is taken into account, the jobs gap is even larger.  The Hamilton Project estimates that if we gained jobs at a pace of 175,000 per month (the job growth in May), it would take until 2022 to fill the jobs gap.[11]  The data highlight the need for policy makers to invest in job creation for women and men and to reject further cuts in funding for public services that would mean more job losses and increased hardship, especially for women and their families.

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Stronger Jobs Recovery Reaching Women