Read the full article on KETV 7
Women lead job growth as US economy adds 172,000 jobs in May
Women have driven 77% of job gains since President Trump’s term began, with May’s report showing significant growth in healthcare, hospitality, and local government.
WASHINGTON —
The U.S. economy added 172,000 jobs in May, exceeding expectations and highlighting women’s growing role in recent payroll gains.
Since January 2025, employers have added more than 730,000 payroll jobs, with women accounting for about 77% of those gains, according to our breakdown of BLS payroll data tracked by the St. Louis Fed.
Advertisement
“It’s mainly industry specific, so if you look back at the last, you know, 12 even 18 months, where have the jobs come from? Primarily it’s in healthcare, education, those are very women-dominated fields,” said Stephen Kates, an analyst at Bankrate.com.
The May jobs report showed the biggest gains in leisure and hospitality, local government, and healthcare.
Meanwhile, sectors like construction and manufacturing, which tend to employ more men, showed more modest change in May and have seen slower growth compared with the sectors driving recent gains.
“We’ve seen very anemic growth from other sectors of the economy, many of which te/nd to skew a little bit more male: construction, manufacturing, etc. And that is one of the reasons that women have gained while men have languished a bit,” Kates said.
Kates noted that construction and manufacturing have shown signs of picking up recently.
The White House pointed to the broader report as evidence of President Donald Trump’s economic policies working.
“I think that’s what’s happening is that the supply side policies of President Trump from deregulation to the Big Beautiful Bill to no tax on overtime,” said Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council.
Wall Street reacted differently, with stocks moving sharply lower after the report. President Trump addressed the market reaction, posting, “With a great Jobs Report … stocks should go up, not down.”
Experts say Wall Street may be responding to what the jobs report means for interest rates. A strong jobs number gives the Federal Reserve less reason to cut rates soon, especially with inflation still a concern.
