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3/26/2024 1:19:18 PM
Tim O'Neill
March is Women's History Month, where the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history is commemorated and encouraged. To a similar end, this month we'll study, observe and celebrate the vital role of women in the Twin Cities Metro Area's labor market.
With the Department of Employment and Economic Development's (DEED) Quarterly Employment Demographics (QED) tool, we can analyze job distribution statistics, median hourly wages and median hours worked by gender. This data can be broken down further by geography and industry. Using this data reveals that jobs in the Metro Area are held by a near-even split of females and males, with females taking the slight edge (51.2%) to males (48.8%). A quick look at the major industry sectors, however, reveals several stark distribution swings. Those industries with higher shares of female-held jobs include Health Care & Social Assistance (76.7%), Educational Services (68.4%), Other Services (57.5%), Finance & Insurance (54.4%), Accommodation & Food Services (53.6%), Management of Companies (51.3%) and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (51.3%). Meanwhile, those industries with significantly lower shares of female-held jobs include Mining (13.6%), Construction (15.6%), Utilities (22.7%), Manufacturing (30.8%), Transportation & Warehousing (31.2%) and Wholesale Trade (32.1%) (Table 1).
| Table 1. Metro Area Industry Employment Demographics, Qtr. 1 2023
Sorted by Female Share of Employment |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Employment Share | Median Hourly Wage | ||
| Female | Male | Female | Male | |
| Total, All Industries | 51.2% | 48.8% | $25.90 | $30.88 |
| Health Care & Social Assistance | 76.7% | 23.3% | $24.06 | $22.67 |
| Educational Services | 68.4% | 31.6% | $23.50 | $23.13 |
| Other Services | 57.5% | 42.5% | $21.63 | $26.38 |
| Finance & Insurance | 54.4% | 45.6% | $43.79 | $61.87 |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 53.6% | 46.4% | $19.56 | $19.22 |
| Management of Companies | 51.3% | 48.7% | $41.30 | $50.30 |
| Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | 51.3% | 48.7% | $19.93 | $20.81 |
| Retail Trade | 49.9% | 50.1% | $17.92 | $19.81 |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 49.3% | 50.7% | $25.96 | $28.90 |
| Public Administration | 49.2% | 50.8% | $33.43 | $37.02 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 48.6% | 51.4% | $18.51 | $21.30 |
| Professional & Technical Services | 47.4% | 52.6% | $37.97 | $50.96 |
| Admin. Support & Waste Services | 45.5% | 54.5% | $22.02 | $22.22 |
| Information | 39.2% | 60.8% | $41.27 | $47.87 |
| Wholesale Trade | 32.1% | 67.9% | $32.59 | $35.97 |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 31.2% | 68.8% | $24.41 | $26.94 |
| Manufacturing | 30.8% | 69.2% | $29.24 | $33.82 |
| Utilities | 22.7% | 77.3% | n/a | n/a |
| Construction | 15.6% | 84.4% | $31.25 | $41.29 |
| Mining | 13.6% | 86.4% | $33.54 | $41.48 |
| DEED Quarterly Employment Demographics | ||||
DEED's QED tool also reveals stark gender differences in earnings. Across all industries, the female median hourly wage of $25.90 was 83.9% of the male median hourly wage of $30.88. The female share of male earnings was lowest in Finance & Insurance (70.8%), Professional & Technical Services (74.5%), Construction (75.7%), Mining (80.9%), Other Services (82.0%) and Management of Companies (82.1%). Female median earnings were higher or more equal in Health Care & Social Assistance (106.1%), Accommodation & Food Services (101.8%), Educational Services (101.6%), Administrative Support & Waste Management Services (99.1%) and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (95.8%).
Similar to DEED's QED tool, the U.S. Census Bureau's Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) provides detailed information on industry employment and earnings by gender. For both data tools, users can filter by geography and year to analyze female employment trends at the statewide, regional and local level.
Contact Tim O'Neill, Labor Market Analyst, at timothy.oneill@state.mn.us.
