Male Job Creation Still Lagging [AUDIO]

The economy regained its balance in May, as employers have now recovered the same number of jobs that were lost in the Great Recession, but job creation for men continues its slow pace.

Key areas such as manufacturing and construction, which took big hits in the recession, have contributed to a lack of some 700,000 male jobs. Those professions accounted for approximately half of all jobs lost since late 2007, and other industries have since bounced back more quickly.

But Carl Van Horn, professor of public policy at Rutgers University, said the news isn't all bad.

"Some of the construction jobs and manufacturing jobs are coming back," Van Horn said.

Van Horn also said some new jobs that have been created are lower-paying for both men and women.

"Most of the jobs, the majority of them, have been in the lower-paying retail sector," he said, "and in restaurants and other industries that have a lot more women employed in them."

As far as the long-term job outlook for men, Van Horn isn't quite sure.

"I think it's a little early to tell whether this pattern that we're into right now is one that's going to last for years, or whether it's just a temporary phenomenon," he said. "It is hard to say. Those projections are always so very tenuous anyway."

Some have suggested that men may start transitioning into more traditional female fields, such as health care and education, but the latest figures haven't yet begun to reflect that type of change.