Oregon's Employment Battle of the Sexes

When the Great Recession took hold, it was sometimes referred to as a "man-cession." That's because male-dominated industries like construction and manufacturing were particularly hard hit. As the private sector began to see growth again and government payrolls have taken hits - particularly in the female-dominated local government education sector - the woes of women started to catch attention. The latest set of economic catchphrases includes terms such as "he-covery", which reflects the relative labor market improvements for men when compared with women. Do these generalizations apply to Oregon's labor market? 

During the first quarter of 2011, all stable employment rose by 8,400 jobs compared with the first quarter of 2010. Men ages 14 to 99 saw an increase of nearly 9,100 jobs over the year, while employment for women declined by 700 jobs. In privately owned firms, men saw a net increase of 8,400 jobs, while women lost nearly 500 jobs. State and local government employment showed a year-over-year gain of 700 jobs for men, while women netted a loss of 200 jobs.

Although the roles have reversed, women saw a greater decline in private employment than state and local employment between the first quarters of 2010 and 2011. And while men have seen an improvement in employment numbers, they're still facing a much larger employment deficit. Between the first quarters of 2007 and 2011, men have seen a net loss of 53,200 stable jobs, while women experienced a decline of 14,900. While looking at different quarters changes the numbers slightly, the trend remains the same: men lost the most stable jobs during the recession but are now seeing a better bounce back compared with women.

You can read more in the full article, written by me (Gail.K.Krumenauer@state.or.us)! Interested in more data by gender, age, industry, or county? You can find it in our Quarterly Workforce Indicators tool on QualityInfo.