Vad driver arbetslösheten för män och kvinnor? : Ett genusperspektiv på den regionala arbetsmarknaden

Sammanfattning: During recessions, the male unemployment rate tends to rise more than the female unemployment rate. Researchers agree that segregated labor markets account for most of the unemployment gap between genders. The Swedish labor market is largely divided into male- and female dominated sectors, and during the financial crisis in 2008, male workers had a higher inflow into unemployment than female ones. The male-dominated industries are often described as more reactive to cyclical fluctuations and economic growth. Differences in unemployment rates between high and low educated workers as well as natives and immigrants have also been an issue at stake, whereas low skilled and/or immigrant workers tend to have higher unemployment rates. In order to reveal which factors that drive male versus female unemployment, the regional unemployment rates of men and women are examined through a panel data analysis using the years 2005 to 2019. The findings of the study are the following: male unemployment seems to be more responsive to the industry composition and segregated labor markets, whereas female unemployment is more affected by the share of immigrants. Furthermore, when the share of college graduates is higher, the total unemployment rate is lower. Lastly, the growth in gross regional product has a positive effect on the regional unemployment rate amongst men.