• Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we found 20 male-dominated industries with steep declines in employment between 2013 and 2018.
  • Several mining and manufacturing industries, which traditionally have employed more men than women, have been shedding jobs in recent years.
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From coal mining to steel mills, major industries that traditionally have employed men are disappearing in the US.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we found 20 male-dominated industries that have seen steep declines in employment over the last several years. Specifically, we compared employment levels in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, with levels in 2013, five years earlier, across those industries with the highest shares of male workers in 2018.

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Several traditionally male-dominated industries like coal mining, electronics repair, and tire manufacturing are near the top of the list.

Here are 20 male-dominated industries that are losing jobs, ranked by their percent decline in employment between 2013 and 2018:


T19. Construction, mining, and oil and gas extraction machinery manufacturing had a 1% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 86.1% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceReuters

Number employed in 2013: 149,000

Number employed in 2018: 148,000


T19. Glass and glass-product manufacturing had a 1% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 76.2% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceReuters/Ammar Abdullah

Number employed in 2013: 149,000

Number employed in 2018: 148,000


18. Automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores had a 4% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 80.7% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceMark Stehle/AP

Number employed in 2013: 518,000

Number employed in 2018: 499,000


17. Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying had a 6% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 87.6% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceJoe Raedle / Getty Images

Number employed in 2013: 107,000

Number employed in 2018: 101,000


16. Recyclable material wholesalers had a 6% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 81.6% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: Mounds of recycling is piled at the Sims Municipal Recycling Facility, an 11-acre recycling center on the Brooklyn waterfront on April 22, 2015 in New York City.sourceGetty Images/Spencer Platt

Number employed in 2013: 114,000

Number employed in 2018: 107,000


15. Barber shops had an 8% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 76.2% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceREUTERS/Jason Cohn

Number employed in 2013: 133,000

Number employed in 2018: 123,000


14. Alcoholic beverages wholesalers had an 8% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 82.1% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceAndy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Number employed in 2013: 125,000

Number employed in 2018: 115,000


13. Petroleum refining had an 8% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 85.2% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceDavid McNew/Getty Images

Number employed in 2013: 178,000

Number employed in 2018: 163,000


12. Sewage treatment facilities had a 9% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 82.5% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceDistrict of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

Number employed in 2013: 105,000

Number employed in 2018: 96,000


11. Waste management and remediation services had a 10% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 83.9% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceBernardo Montoya/Reuters

Number employed in 2013: 535,000

Number employed in 2018: 480,000


10. Iron and steel mills and steel product manufacturing had an 11% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 88.2% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceAnatolii Stepanov / REUTERS

Number employed in 2013: 301,000

Number employed in 2018: 268,000


9. Rail transportation had a 14% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 92.8% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceThomson Reuters

Number employed in 2013: 261,000

Number employed in 2018: 224,000


8. Metalworking machinery manufacturing had a 19% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 85.3% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceMehmetcan/Shutterstock

Number employed in 2013: 159,000

Number employed in 2018: 128,000


7. Miscellaneous paper and pulp products had a 20% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 80.4% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceWikimedia Commons

Number employed in 2013: 89,000

Number employed in 2018: 71,000

The miscellaneous paper and pulp products industry manufactures goods from paper, aside from paper for printing and writing and cardboard boxes.


6. Coal mining had a 25% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 93.8% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceReuters/Laszlo Balogh

Number employed in 2013: 85,000

Number employed in 2018: 64,000


5. Mining support activities had a 28% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 85.2% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceReuters

Number employed in 2013: 700,000

Number employed in 2018: 504,000

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' summary from the North American Industry Classification System, the mining support activities industry entails "providing support services, on a contract or fee basis, required for the mining and quarrying of minerals and for the extraction of oil and gas," including prospecting and initial mineral exploration.


4. Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance had a 32% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 78.4% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceReutesr/Mike Blake

Number employed in 2013: 157,000

Number employed in 2018: 107,000


3. Oil and gas extraction had a 32% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 80.9% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceREUTERS/Jim Urquhart

Number employed in 2013: 115,000

Number employed in 2018: 78,000


2. Tire manufacturing had a 35% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 84.8% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceShutterstock

Number employed in 2013: 95,000

Number employed in 2018: 62,000


1. Aerospace product and parts manufacturing had an 88% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018. 78.7% of workers in the industry in 2018 were men.

Foto: sourceDavid W Cerny/Reuters

Number employed in 2013: 430,000

Number employed in 2018: 51,000

While the aerospace product and parts manufacturing industry saw a sharp decline in employment between 2013 and 2018, the related aircraft and parts manufacturing industry saw a large increase over that period.