{"id":66259,"date":"2026-08-10T09:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/major-seismic-event-rattles-colombia-u-s-labor-market-hits-historic-gender-milestone\/66259\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T09:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:08:16","slug":"major-seismic-event-rattles-colombia-u-s-labor-market-hits-historic-gender-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/major-seismic-event-rattles-colombia-u-s-labor-market-hits-historic-gender-milestone\/66259\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Seismic Event Rattles Colombia; U.S. Labor Market Hits Historic Gender Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A powerful magnitude 6.7\u20137.1 earthquake struck Colombia\u2019s Choc\u00f3 province<\/strong>, triggering widespread evacuations in the capital city of <strong>Bogot\u00e1<\/strong> and causing structural damage in older urban areas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Women now hold more U.S. payroll jobs than men<\/strong>, a historic shift that has occurred only twice before during major economic crises (2008 and 2020) but now appears to be a <em>permanent structural change<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The healthcare and social assistance sector<\/strong>, which is nearly <strong>79% female<\/strong>, added <strong>1.8 million jobs<\/strong> over the last 24 months, driving more than half of all U.S. employment growth.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Male labor force participation has fallen to 67.2%<\/strong>, down from nearly <strong>87%<\/strong> in 1948, as traditional male-dominated sectors like manufacturing and technology continue to contract.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Seismic activity in Colombia<\/strong> has prompted immediate emergency assessments by the <strong>National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD)<\/strong>, with tremors felt as far as the Venezuelan border.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Colombia Rocked by Major Earthquake<\/h2>\n<p>A significant earthquake, with preliminary magnitudes ranging from <strong>6.7 to 7.1<\/strong>, struck western Colombia on Monday morning. The epicenter was located in the <strong>Choc\u00f3<\/strong> province, near <strong>San Jos\u00e9 del Palmar<\/strong>, at a depth of approximately <strong>79 to 115 kilometers<\/strong>. While the depth mitigated some of the potential surface destruction, the tremor was felt intensely in <strong>Bogot\u00e1<\/strong>, where office workers and residents fled buildings in a mass evacuation.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD)<\/strong> is currently coordinating with local authorities to verify damage to critical infrastructure. Initial reports indicate <strong>structural cracks<\/strong> in older buildings and localized power outages, though no official casualty figures have been released. <em>Market analysts are monitoring the situation for potential disruptions to Colombia&#39;s agricultural and energy exports<\/em>, as the region is a key corridor for Pacific-bound trade.<\/p>\n<h2>U.S. Workforce Undergoes Historic Gender Shift<\/h2>\n<p>In a landmark development for the American labor market, women have officially surpassed men in total nonfarm payroll employment. According to data highlighted by <strong>Business Insider<\/strong> and the <strong>Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/strong>, this &quot;third crossover&quot; is unique because it is occurring during a period of relative economic stability rather than a sharp recession. Over the past year, men experienced a net loss of <strong>142,000 jobs<\/strong>, while women gained <strong>298,000<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This shift is largely attributed to the explosive growth of &quot;pink-collar&quot; industries. The healthcare sector, dominated by companies like UnitedHealth Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/UNH\">UNH<\/a>) and CVS Health (<a href=\"\/stock\/CVS\">CVS<\/a>), has become the primary engine of the U.S. economy. Conversely, sectors such as manufacturing and technology\u2014represented by firms like Intel (<a href=\"\/stock\/INTC\">INTC<\/a>)\u2014have seen headcount reductions due to automation and shifting consumer demand.<\/p>\n<h2>Economic Implications of the &quot;She-Economy&quot;<\/h2>\n<p>The transition toward a female-majority workforce carries significant implications for consumer spending and household dynamics. Economists note that while women are securing more roles, they are often concentrated in sectors with lower average wages than traditional male-dominated fields like mining or construction. <em>This trend could influence future Federal Reserve policy<\/em>, as wage growth patterns may shift alongside the changing demographic composition of the labor pool.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the decline in male participation is raising concerns among social scientists and policy experts. Data suggests that younger men are increasingly disconnected from the formal labor market, with a significant portion of non-working hours being spent on digital recreation. <em>The long-term sustainability of this trend will depend on whether male workers can be successfully integrated into the rapidly expanding healthcare and education sectors.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways A powerful magnitude 6.7\u20137.1 earthquake struck Colombia\u2019s Choc\u00f3 province, triggering widespread evacuations in the capital city of Bogot\u00e1 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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