Nonfarm employment of women increased 2.3 percent over the year ending September 2016

Over the year ending September 2016, the number of women employees on nonfarm payrolls increased 2.3 percent. This increase was larger than the 1.7-percent increase in total employment over the same time period. Women represented 1,628,000 of the 2,447,000 total jobs gained between September 2015 and September 2016, or about two-thirds.

From September 2015 to September 2016, among major industries, women experienced the largest percentage increase in employment in professional and business services (3.7 percent). Over the same period, the largest percentage decrease in women's employment occurred in mining and logging (−9.0 percent). During that period, construction experienced the largest percentage increase in employment for all employees (3.4 percent), while mining and logging experienced the largest decrease (−13.8 percent).  

Women recorded the largest net gain in employment in education and health services (490,000) over the year ending September 2016. This gain represented about 81 percent of the increase in total employment in education and health services (608,000). While total employment in manufacturing declined 0.4 percent for the year ending September 2016, women's employment in the industry grew by 0.5 percent. 

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. Data for the most recent 2 months are preliminary. To learn more, see "The Employment Situation — September 2016" (HTML) (PDF). Charts and analysis of nonfarm employment data can be found in Current Employment Statistics Highlights: September 2016; for additional charts, see Graphics for Economic News Releases: The Employment Situation.