WASHINGTON — Women accounted for 100 percent of the decline in the labor force in July, according to a National Women’s Law Center jobs analysis of monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That brings the total net number of women who have left the labor force since January this year to 845,000. In comparison, there are 406,000 fewer men in the labor force now than in January. 

A total of 165,000 women, aged 20 and over, left the labor force last month — meaning they are neither working nor looking for work — while men’s labor force participation was unchanged. Overall, the economy lost 23,000 jobs in July. Women accounted for all of these losses, losing 32,000 jobs, while men gained 9,000 jobs. Women make up 50.1% of the workforce.

“This is not a sign of a healthy economy, no matter what the administration continues to insist. Instead, it’s a sign that too many women are being pushed to the sidelines,” said Jasmine Tucker, vice president of research at NWLC. “Women are leaving the labor force in alarming numbers, and many who remain employed are underemployed.This administration cannot celebrate an economy that is failing so many women.”

Additional stats of note:

• Nearly 1 in 4 unemployed women aged 16 and over have been looking for work for 6 months or longer (24.3%), including over 1 in 3 unemployed Asian women aged 16 and over (36.6%) and over 1 in 4 unemployed Latinas aged 16 and over (27.5%).   
• The leisure and hospitality sector lost 40,000 jobs in July. Women lost 63,000 jobs, while men gained 23,000 jobs. Women make up 52.3% of the leisure and hospitality workforce.

Please let me know if you’d like to speak to Jasmine or other experts on the impact of these losses on women and their families, or receive additional topline data related to unemployment and industry changes, including by gender and race. 

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