At the onset of the pandemic, females in the workforce suffered. From February to April 2020, prime-age labor force participation among women plummeted 3.5 percentage points, from 77% to 73.5%.
The same tight labor market that has plagued recruiters in the past couple years has brought job seekers back into the fold, softening recruiting costs.
Demand in the manufacturing sector has withstood the Federal Reserve's combative monetary policy. Because of consumer spending and new investments, employment growth in the sector has been better than ever.
The labor market cannot be defined singularly – instead, it is a collection of industries and locations that have unique reasons and demands for workers. These micro-markets are where the real changes in supply and demand occur.