It has been a busy time for the team at Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), with the recent release of another important report. Paper 1 New Perspectives on Old Problems – Gendered Jobs, Work and Pay is the first of a suite of three reports looking at gender economic inequality in the Australian labour market.
The report shows that Australia’s labour market remains deeply gendered, with jobs, work, and pay divided along entrenched lines.
Only 21% of Australians work in gender-balanced occupations (and there are only 15 of these occupations), while half of the workforce work in roles that are highly or almost completely segregated by gender. These divisions are closely linked to education and training pathways that guide learners into gendered occupations, reinforcing pay inequities and limiting productivity.
Worryingly “around 70% of occupations had the same gender segregation intensity that they had in 2006.”
Using the new Gender Segregation Intensity Scale (GSIS) developed by JSA, the study highlights that many Skill Level 3 occupations (i.e. those usually requiring a Certificate III or IV qualification), and particularly trades and carer roles, are the most gender segregated. Traditional trades remain overwhelmingly male-dominated, while care and health roles are highly female-dominated.
Both categories face persistent shortages, showing that segregation not only limits equity but also exacerbates skills gaps.
The report also introduces new insights into gender pay gaps across 688 occupations,. Gaps are highest in male-dominated trades (often above 25%), but also persist in female-dominated care and health roles where men still out-earn women despite working similar hours.
Importantly, the report also shows how gender segregation and pay gaps are compounded by race, culture, and life stage. First Nations women, migrant women, and other females from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are overrepresented in lower-paid or highly segregated roles.
The gender pay gap also gets worse with age, up to the peak for workers aged 40-54 years where the gap is 29.6%.
Disappointingly what JSA describe as “the ‘motherhood penalty’ is clearly seen in the accumulated 10-year gender pay gaps, with females aged 25-39 years old seeing the worst subsequent economic outcomes.”
Overall, the report emphasises that addressing gendered inequities is not only a matter of fairness but also of economic necessity, given the links to skill shortages, productivity, and national reform agendas (eg the transition to net zero transition, Future Made in Australia, etc).
For VET providers, the findings highlight opportunities to re-examine course design, career guidance, and partnerships with industry to challenge stereotypes, encourage more balanced participation, and support learners across their life course.
Paper 2 in this series will be focussed on Education and Training Divides – Gendered Skills, Pathways and Outcomes.
