'It’s a significant problem’; Unemployment drop may mask deeper issue: people leaving the workforce - MassLive
By Chris Lisinski
Despite gains in total employment in the past two months, the Massachusetts labor force is shrinking, raising concerns about workers who have given up on finding employment amid the COVID recession.
A survey Modestino conducted found that 13 percent of working parents either reduced their hours or lost their jobs because they had to take on child care duties during the pandemic. The effects were more concentrated among women, she said.
“Among women who became unemployed during the pandemic, 25 percent of them said it was solely due to child care,” Modestino said.
In February, about 31 percent of Massachusetts claimants seeking unemployment benefits were women, according to Modestino. By July, that rate had jumped to more than 56 percent, “a tremendous shift.”