Women’s labor force participation in the US reached a six-year high at the end of 2018—and according to Goldman Sachs Research economists, there’s scope for the momentum to continue. They predict the participation rate among prime-age women will rise modestly to above 76% by year-end, alongside the pickup in wage growth and the downward trend in unemployment. But that will still leave the US rate lagging behind other developed countries, where participation rates sit in the low 80s—a gap GS Research economists attribute largely to more generous parental leave policies and higher spending on childcare internationally.
Goldman Sachs Research