Maine’s Labor Market During the Pandemic: Impact by gender
The pandemic had a dramatic impact on the labor market through most of 2020. A previous article, available here , examined which sectors have been most impacted and how this period differs from the last recession. This article examines the differing impact by gender in the period from February, just before the COVID-19 virus caused business closures and alternative work arrangements, through December 2020. Change in Jobs by Gender by Sector in Maine February to December 2020 Source: Maine Department of Labor, Center for Workforce Research and Information, Current Employment Statistics Share of employment by gender obtained from the Census Bureau Quarterly Workforce Indicators In the ten months through December there was a net decrease of 48,400 jobs. Of that, we estimate that 27,600 jobs were lost by women and 20,800 by men. The 57 to 43 percent disparity is because women comprise a majority of jobs in the sectors most impacted by the pandemic: leisure and hospitality, educational serv