FIGURES 3 - 10
Figure 3 – Labor Force Participation by Gender
From February to May the female LFPR has fallen by 7.65%, double
the rate for males. The female LFPR was lower than males to begin
with, but as a result of the pandemic, the disparity has grown even
larger. The drop in the female LFPR, from 63% to 55% suggests
that 178,700 women have dropped out of the labor force and are
not currently looking for work. For males, the drop from 76% to
72% indicates 88,000 males dropped out of the labor force.
Figure 4 – Unemployment Rate by Gender
The unemployment rate for both male and female has jumped
significantly. The overall unemployment rate for the month of May
was 10.2%, the male unemployment rate is below the state average
and female rate is above. Similar to the overall unemployment
rates, the rates for both male and female are pushed downward by
the fact that more people have dropped out of the labor force. If the
LFPR had stayed at the same level as February 2020, then the May
unemployment rate would be 14% for male and 22% for females.
Figures 5 & 6 – Male Labor Force Participation Rate and Unemployment Rate by Age
Figures 5 and 6 show the male unemployment rate and labor force participation rate in both February 2020 and May 2020 for men
above and below the age of 35. Contrary to the overall trend, males below the age of 35 actually saw a slight increase in their LFPR.
This could be just an anomaly in the monthly survey, as April, not shown in the chart, did show a sharp decline this age groups
LFPR. The unemployment rate for men below the age of 35 jumped sharply from 3.7% to 19.3%, reflecting both the slight growth in
the labor force and the loss of employment.
Figure 7 & 8 – Female Labor Force Participation Rate by Age
Figures 7 and 8 depict the female labor force participation rate and unemployment rate in both February 2020 and May 2020,
for women above and below the age of 35. Women over the age of 35 saw a large drop in LFPR, declining from 61.2% to 51.3%.
Despite this large drop, the unemployment rate still increased significantly from 3.2% to 7.6%.
Figure 9 & 10 – Labor Force Participation Rate and Unemployment Rate by Educational Attainment Level
Figures 9 and 10 show the change in LFPR and unemployment rates by three levels of educational attainment. Similar trends are
observed with declining labor force participation rates and increasing unemployment rates across all groupings. However, those
with no college credentials, including those with high school diplomas or those who did not graduate high school, showed the
largest changes in both declining LFP and an increasing unemployment rate.
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 10
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 6
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AUGUST 2020 TRENDS | 33