In a tough job market and tumultuous global economy, women are searching for jobs in droves. In some places across the world, female jobseekers outnumber their male counterparts.
A March 2024 report from global recruitment-software platform iCIMS shows that compared to North America, more women were applying to jobs in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). The analysis, which considered more than 200 million applications in 2023, showed 52% of EMEA-based applicants were women, versus 50% in North America.
It’s a statically small difference – but it tells an important story about the global job market and economy. “While this discrepancy appears to be minimal, when thinking of the number of jobs in [North America], we’re missing a large number of female applications,” says Rhea Moss, global head of workforce and customer insights at iCIMS.
Specifically, in Western Europe, Moss says the higher volume of female applications is born out of a combination of factors, from social norms to economic policy.
Differing attitudes towards workplace gender balance across the globe is one driver. “Over the years, European employers have recognised the importance of closing their workplace gender gaps and implementing initiatives that focus on equalising the playing field, which has encouraged more women to apply for jobs,” says Moss. In the past few years, for example, countries including Spain and Finland have introduced equal parental leave for men and women; while in the Netherlands, daytime childcare is widely available.