Net change is not hiring
These figures subtract payroll jobs lost from payroll jobs added. They do not describe gross hires, individual workers, or who was hired into a newly created role.
The U.S. labor market, by sex · 2016–2026
Who got the jobs?
One viral-sounding number, placed back inside a decade of payroll movement.
August 2026+162knet payroll jobs
Women+158k97.53% of the net gain
Men+4k2.47% of the net gain
That is a one-month estimate of net payroll positions—not gross hires, newly created jobs, or unique people.
01 · The headline
Monthly movement, in context
The lines divide each month’s absolute movement between women and men. The bars show the magnitude of the overall net change; gold is a gain and violet is a loss.
Share of absolute payroll movement
Hover or tap anywhere on the chart for the signed values behind each share.
WomenMenTotal gainTotal loss
Scale break: April 2020’s 20.469 million net loss exceeds the requested 10 million right-axis ceiling, so its bar is capped and marked with a zigzag.
How to read 97.53%158 ÷ 162
Women’s monthly payroll change divided by the total change.
Share of all payroll jobs50.13%
Women held roughly half—not 97.53%—of payroll positions.
Unit of measurementJobs, not people
A person appearing on two payrolls is counted twice in CES.
02 · The longer view
Six ways to see the same labor market
Payroll series track jobs. Household survey rates track people. Switch the measure without losing the women–men comparison.
Who holds payroll jobs?
Payroll employment share
% of nonfarm payroll jobs
WomenMen
03 · What the data can say
The fine print is the point
Men are derived
BLS publishes total nonfarm payrolls and women employees. This analysis calculates men as total minus women. The relevant monthly BLS series offer women and men, but no “other” category.
Shares show movement
Absolute women’s and men’s movements always sum to 100%, even when one rises while the other falls. Direction remains visible in the signed hover details.
Two surveys, two lenses
CES is an establishment survey of payroll positions. Participation, employment–population, and unemployment rates come from the CPS household survey of people age 16 and over.