I am not sure how to read this sentence.

[Michael_SD]

I turned the second sentence around in my mind 50 different ways from Sunday, but I have yet to be able to write an English equivalent I can feel confident about.

　　　　　０６年の女性の労働力人口は前年比０．３％増の２７５９万人で、３年連続で増えたことが２０日、厚生労働省がまとめた「働く女性の実情」（女性労働白書）で分かった。働く女性の割合を示す労働力率も４８．５％と２年連続で上昇。
働く女性の割合 = the rate/proportion of women who are working
示す労働力率 = the percentage of the workforce that [the report] indicates

If the sentence ended in です, I would understand it to mean
The 48.5 percent of the workforce that the report indicates also is a growth, for two consecutive years, in the number of women who are working.
But there is no です anywhere to be found.

I must be missing something somehow, and I think the article's newspaper style might have something to do with it.

Ideas?

[Hyperworm]

I'd say
"The labour-force participation rate, indicating the proportion of working females, is also up for the second year in a row, to 48.5%."

It's probably している that's omitted at the end of the sentence? But です would do just as well.
I'm not really sure what your problem was here, but it wasn't です
Improperly casting the subject as 「48.5%」 instead of 「労働力率」, or misinterpreting the nature of the subclause at the beginning, or something.

The role of と here is a little tricky and potentially confusing as well. <_<;

[Michael_SD]

I'd say
"The labour-force participation rate, indicating the proportion of working females, is also up for the second year in a row, to 48.5%."

It's probably している that's omitted at the end of the sentence? But です would do just as well.
I'm not really sure what your problem was here, but it wasn't です
Improperly casting the subject as 「48.5%」 instead of 「労働力率」, or misinterpreting the nature of the subclause at the beginning, or something.

The role of と here is a little tricky and potentially confusing as well. <_<;

Really, you hit the answer spot on in a way I can understand. You totally understand the sentence, I know, but I think you perceived my confusion perfectly.

I totally get it now. Thanks.

[Forgetmaenot]

wow that seems like an overly verbose way of saying

Over the past two years the percentage of women vs men working has consecutively risen to 48.5%.

[Michael_SD]

wow that seems like an overly verbose way of saying

Over the past two years the percentage of women vs men working has consecutively risen to 48.5%.

I failed to make myself completely clear in my original post, but it was really the core meaning of the sentence I was trying to hash out -- which I found out thanks to Hyperworm and you -- more than I was looking for a accurately worded translation of it.

But thanks for your sentence.

[NileCat]

wow that seems like an overly verbose way of saying

Over the past two years the percentage of women vs men working has consecutively risen to 48.5%.

Excuse me but that is incorrect.
It has nothing to do with “women vs men”.
As Hyperworm translated above, it means “the proportion of working women (to the whole population of women)”

[Hyperworm]

I was pretty sure it was "the proportion of females in work", but if my translation left room for confusion, it's because I felt that the original did as well >_>;

"proportion of working women (within the entire workforce?)" or "proportion of working women (within the entire population of women?)"
I didn't think 働く女性の割合 spelled it out explicitly. ._.

I suspect that just like in English, it's possible for 働く女性の割合 to mean
"the proportion of women who (fulfil the condition that they) work" (女性の間、働くものの割合) as well as
"the proportion of 'women who work' (out of some larger unspecified population)"? (【雇用全体？女性全体？】の間、働く女性の割合)

[NileCat]

Yes, Hyperworm. But the word “労働力率” specifies the meaning here. It is a technical term, though.