24 August 2009
Women account for up to 80 percent of Australia’s hidden unemployed, new research into the current economic downturn by The Australia Institute reveals.
An Australia Institute report launched on 24 August at the Industrial Relations Society World Congress in Sydney, details the staggering
gender imbalance of those people who want to work, but are not included in the official unemployment statistics.
The report finds that not only are child care responsibilities the most common reason why women struggle to rejoin the workforce, but those same responsibilities are a major reason that women are excluded from the official unemployment statistics.
Report author, David Richardson, said the overall picture that emerges is one of significant disadvantage for women.
“While official figures suggest women haven’t fared as badly in the recession as men, more detailed analysis shows that women face chronic difficulties in the labour market and that those difficulties have been exacerbated by the global financial crisis.
“The fact that the official statistics conceal more than they reveal simply adds insult to injury,” said Mr Richardson.
The report also found that:
· the Budget Papers suggest hidden unemployment is likely to rise significantly in the next 12 months
· there are significant regional and state variations of female unemployment
· many married women who lose their jobs do not register with Centrelink and may miss out on labour market programs and training assistance.
The report highlights the labour market consequences of inadequate child care arrangements, especially out of school hours and vacation care.
It recommends that labour market programs, including training and vocational education, should be more sensitive to the behaviour and needs of women.
The Hidden Impact of the Global Financial Crisis was produced by the Australia Instituteand commissioned by the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW), on behalf of Security for Women (S4W)
and WomenSpeak.
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