Stubborn Gender Gaps in Paraguay’s Labor Market

This note analyzes household survey data and firm-level data to measure gender gaps in employment outcomes over the past 15 years and shed light on the degree to which economic growth has translated into more and better jobs for men and women, and the relative impact on each group. The analysis relies primarily on micro-level data from the annual Encuesta Permanente de Hogares for 2001 through 2016, the Encuesta Continua de Empleo for 2010-2014, the Censo Económico 2011, a census of firms, and the 2015-16 Encuesta de Empresas, a follow-up firm survey. Patterns in labor supply and its correlates will be examined using household-level data, and the analysis will consider how gender and other worker characteristics are related to labor market outcomes. In addition, this note explores the degree to which private sector labor demand and firm productivity differ by gender; this is done using firm-level data to examine the drivers of firm performance and employment growth.