Men at work?

US: In an employment trend some call "historic", American women will soon have more jobs than men.

In June, women held 49.8 per cent of the country's 132 million positions. This percentage is the highest ever, and it continues to climb. There are two main reasons for the trend.

Most of the new jobs that are being created, mainly in education, health care and government, are traditionally held by women. At the same time, three out of four jobs that have been lost in the current recession, particularly in manufacturing and construction, are typically held by men.

"Unemployment among men isn't going to last forever," economist Casey Mulligan at the University of Chicago told USA Today. "People will move from construction and manufacturing to industries that are creating new jobs."

The percentage of jobs held by women will rise above 50 per cent, according to economist Casey Mulligan.

Mulligan says he believes that the percentage of jobs held by women will rise above 50 per cent later this year, perhaps in October or November. As the economy improves, however, he expects that men at work will once again outnumber women.