New research, released for International Women’s Day, shows Australia’s recovery from the pandemic recession has widened the gender pay gap, as women’s jobs returned on a more part-time and casualised basis than for men.
Key findings:
- Employment for women declined almost 8% between February and May 2020 – over 2 percentage points worse than for men
- Job-creation since May has been heavily concentrated in casual and part-time jobs, with women filling 62% of those casual roles
- Measuring the gender pay gap using total average earnings data indicates it is 31% across all jobs
- Three major government policies could further widen pay inequality in 2021: the omnibus IR bill, public sector pay caps, and a high-cost childcare system
“The gendered nature of the pandemic recession on Australia’s labour market has markedly worsened pay inequality,” said Alison Pennington, senior economist at the Centre for Future Work.
Related research
Briefing Paper: Women’s Casual Job Surge Widens Gender Pay Gap