The share of American men participating in the workforce remains near historic lows, even as the U.S. unemployment rate stays relatively stable.
Labor Department data shows the employment-to-population ratio for men age 16 and older stood at 64.1% in April, down sharply from 70.9% during the 1990s and below pre-pandemic levels, according to The Wall Street Journal.
While retirement trends tied to an aging population explain part of the decline, economists say deeper labor market changes are also pulling men out of work or leaving them disconnected from the sectors adding jobs.
Job Growth Is Concentrated in Female-Dominated Industries
Over the past year, healthcare and social assistance generated nearly all net private-sector job growth in the U.S., adding more than 650,000 positions.
Without that hiring surge, the private sector would have lost jobs overall.
The problem for many male workers is that healthcare and caregiving professions remain overwhelmingly female. Women outnumber men roughly three to one across much of the sector.
Meanwhile, several industries with heavily male workforces — including manufacturing, transportation and warehousing — have shed jobs over the same period.
Women Continue Gaining Ground at Work
Women, particularly those in their prime working years, are continuing to enter the workforce at strong rates.
Payroll data shows jobs held by women increased by roughly 421,000 since the end of 2024, while jobs held by men remained essentially flat.
Analysts say post-pandemic workplace flexibility, including hybrid work arrangements, helped support higher workforce participation among women with children.
The result is a labor market where the gap between male and female employment continues narrowing, though largely because male participation has steadily weakened over decades.
Education Is Widening the Divide
The labor shift is also tracking alongside a growing education gap.
Women now earn bachelor’s degrees at substantially higher rates than men, giving them stronger access to industries with better employment stability and wage growth.
Many of the occupations growing fastest in the modern economy increasingly require either degrees, certifications or comfort moving into service-oriented and healthcare roles that men have historically avoided.
