... IF MORE WOMEN BECOME PREGNANT , IT WILL PUT ADDITIONAL DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON CONTACT CENTER STAFFING ...
• Policies such as parental leave , flexible work arrangements , and childcare support have helped women balance work and family responsibilities ( Goldin & Mitchell , 2017 ).
• The growth of service-based industries , remote work options , and the digital economy provide more flexible and accessible employment options for women .
Despite the gains in women ’ s labor force participation , they may face political headwinds if the U . S . government pursues additional restrictions on contraception and abortion .
Although the Democratic Party has generally presented a united front on access to contraception and abortion rights , the Republican Party has been more divided .
In the 2022 election cycle , a widely expected “ red wave ” favoring Republicans failed to materialize in part because of concerns about abortion rights . In June 2023 , one year after the Dobbs ruling , Gallup reported that 69 % of Americans – an all-time high – believed abortion should be legal in the first three months of pregnancy .
Abortion rights are a political hot-button that many Republicans are struggling to manage effectively , especially as the 2024 election cycle begins .
At least 12 states allow some healthcare professionals to refuse contraception-related services ( Guttmacher Institute , 2023 ). However , Democrats and some Republicans have introduced legislation to make contraception more accessible .
In the unlikely event that the more conservative wing of the Republican party achieves its goal of banning abortion and further restricting access to contraception , it could negatively impact women ’ s participation in the labor force . Both in the near - and long-term .
The BLS estimates that 80 % of women in the workforce will become pregnant at some point in their careers . Of those who become pregnant , 18 % will leave the workforce at least temporarily , according to the U . S . Census Bureau .
By reducing access to abortion or contraception , the number of pregnancies will increase , further reducing women ’ s participation in the near term . In the long term , as the number of childbirths rises , it may help offset some of the labor-force-related declines discussed earlier .
Of course , if more women become pregnant , it will put additional downward pressure on contact center staffing due to lower workforce participation and childcare-related expenses , which creates a difficult financial hurdle to overcome in relatively low-paying jobs .
Although men ’ s participation in labor has declined , their rate remains higher than prime-age women . Though the gap is closing , additional governmental regulation is a wild card that could have a deleterious impact .
... IF MORE WOMEN BECOME PREGNANT , IT WILL PUT ADDITIONAL DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON CONTACT CENTER STAFFING ...
Youth ( 20-24 age group ) shows different labor force participation patterns by sex .
• Women in the 20-24 group increasingly participated in the workforce until 1999 ( 73.2 %) and then declined steadily until 2012 ( 67.4 %), according to the BLS . Between 2012 and 2022 , the participation rate rose slightly .
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However , between 2022 and 2032 , the BLS projects that women in the 20-24 age group will continue to reduce their participation rate from 68.7 % in 2022 to 67.3 % in 2032 .
• The participation rate for 20-24 age men fell more sharply than for women . Nearly 83 % ( 82.6 %) of men in the 20-24 group participated in the workforce in 2000 ; the rate had fallen to 74.5 % by 2010 .
Over the next 12 years , men ’ s participation rate dropped more slowly , reaching 73.2 % in 2022 . Projections suggest that 20-24 age men ’ s participation will continue to decline over the next decade , reaching 68.2 % by 2032 .
Although many of the same factors that impact participation for older age groups also affect the younger group , there is one notable difference . Higher education influences the 20-24 group more heavily , often delaying entry into the labor force .
The slow population growth , an aging populace , and fluctuating workforce participation rates will create significant downward pressure on the labor force over the next nine years .
Indeed , according to the BLS , the labor force will only add 6.4 million workers between 2022 and 2032 . The result is that the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) will grow at a meager 1.9 % annually , consistent with the GDP between 2002 and 2012 . ( Next month , in Part 2 , I will cover specific staffing-impacting customer service industry trends and how contact centers can plan and respond to them .)
Brent Holland is the cofounder of Intelliante , a talent growth company transforming contact center hiring into a fast , adaptive , data-driven process that delivers quarter-over-quarter gains in KPIs and retention . Intelliante believes every person matters , so we invest in applicants by providing them with no-cost professional development resources , incentivizing them to complete the hiring process .
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