Labour force participation and job polarization : evidence from Europe during the great recession

Job polarization accelerated during the Great recession in Europe. Because of higher occupational segregation by gender and larger shocks to middling occupations that employ mostly male workers, employmentopportunities declined much more for men relative to women in Europe compared to the US. We find that the labour force participation and employment rates of women increased considerably in regions most affected by the destruction of men’s jobs, particularly for married women with less than high-school education. For men, the decline in demand in middling occupations explains some of the recent decline in their participation. For both men and women, the Great recession mostly accelerated pre-existing trends. This suggests that a large share of the recent increases in women’s participation in Europe is a response to job polarization