Record women’s employment under the Albanese Labor Government

The Albanese Labor Government is getting more Australian women into full-time work than ever before, a new analysis of workforce data shows.

The Government’s gender equality agenda in jobs and wages is helping thousands more women to work and earn to their full potential.

New analysis of ABS data shows:

• More women are in jobs. Women’s total employment is up 193,400 since May 2022. 
• More women are entering the labour force. 163,900 more women have joined the labour force since May 2022.
• Those women are more likely to be upgrading part-time jobs to full-time jobs. Since May 2022, women’s part-time work has increased by 4300 but women’s full-time jobs boomed, increasing by 189,100. 
• The highest number of women in recorded history are in full-time work. Female full-time employment currently stands at 3,826,900. 
• Women are leading the surge in full-time jobs. Women have accounted for around two-thirds (66.7%) of the growth in full-time jobs since May 2022.

This comes off the back of recent Treasury analysis showing that the Albanese Labor Government has had the strongest start for jobs growth of any new Australian government in history. 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Workplace Relations and Employment, Tony Burke:

“We’re not just getting women into jobs – we’re getting them into secure, full-time jobs.

“This is what happens when you have a Government that is determined to improve job security and get wages moving – it encourages more people to join or come back to the workforce.

“Australian women can see that this is a Government pulling every lever it can to close the gender pay gap and improve workplaces for women.”

This includes: 

• changing the law to put gender pay equity at the heart of the Fair Work Commission’s decision-making process 
• twice advocating increases to the minimum wage in the Government’s Annual Wage Review submission 
• backing and funding a significant pay rise for aged care workers 
• reforming the bargaining system to allow workers in industries like childcare a better chance of negotiating workplace agreements 
• strengthening people’s rights to workplace flexibility and introducing paid family and domestic violence leave

Quotes attributable to Finance Minister and Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher:    

“This is a Government that puts women at the heart of our decision making, which is why in our first year in office we’ve delivered the biggest investment in women in the last forty years. 

“Supporting women to work in decent jobs is the key to women’s economic equality – and women’s equality isn’t just a nice to have, it’s an economic and social imperative. 

“As both the Minister for Women and the Minister for Finance, I’m pleased to see more women in jobs and more women entering the workforce. These increases aren’t just good for women, they’re also good for the economy – it’s a win, win.”