LAKELAND, Fla. - — Lakeland is the best city for female workers, according to a new report by Checkr, a background-checking service for businesses.
The company crunched the numbers using data sourced from the US Census Bureau from 2019 to 2023 to try to determine the best US cities for women currently working and those hoping to return to work.
Checkr based their results on key metrics, including the growth of women in the workforce, women’s median income, and the gender wage gap. Lakeland placed just outside the top 15 for the number of women in management positions as well.
The business looked at 100 of the country’s largest cities for their report and examined jobs data from 2019 to current. The study looked at several factors: The number of women in the workforce, their salaries, the wage gap (the amount women make compared to men in similar positions and careers), the unemployment rate for women and the number of women in management positions.
Two other Florida cities also ranked high for female workers: Sarasota and Palm Bay both ranked in the top 10.
The Checkr report also shows how the labor market has changed for women since pre-pandemic times, adding that during the pandemic, the US labor market lost nearly 22 million jobs, and a significant percentage of those jobs were lost by women, according to company leaders at Checkr.
“Nearly 12 million women (about twice the population of Arizona) left the workforce during COVID-19 due to pandemic-related disruptions, including increased caregiving responsibilities and challenges in balancing work with the closure of schools and daycare facilities,” the report notes.
Yet, in 2023, the report found women are returning to work in large numbers.
ABC Action News connected with one Lakeland business owner who is helping to grow the female workforce.
“Our business name 'East of These' is a play on words from the phrase, ‘least of these’ in the Bible. The least of these is anyone who is marginalized or outcast,” said Taylor Ard, owner of East of These.
Those are the people Ard has sought out, since opening her accessories company in Lakeland three years ago.
“Some of the women on our team have been survivors of homelessness, domestic abuse and single moms. That’s just our heart to help women get back on their feet,” Ard said.
Ard has hired all female employees. They make hundreds of hand-made accessories a day from satin scrunchies to T-shirts. Their products are currently sold in Zoo Tampa’s gift shop. Ard knows the struggles many women face when looking to return to the workforce.
“I am a domestic abuse survivor and I found myself a single mom. Went from living in my dream home to being housed by a family in my church and the community just came around me and met my needs,” she said.
As East of These expands, the business will continue to be tailored for women.
“I would love to hire as many women as I can employ well. Our goals and our strategies are to get into attraction based businesses,” Ard said.
