Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Ministers statements: women’s employment

Ms PULFORD (Western Victoria—Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Resources) (11:48): I am really pleased to update the house today on what our government is doing to address the structural challenges that face women looking for work. Today is International Women’s Day, and the theme this year is ‘Break the bias’, which is about raising awareness of gender equality, equity and inclusion.

Women’s unemployment in Victoria currently sits at a historically low level of 4.3 per cent as of January this year. Despite the disruption of COVID, 1.65 million Victorian women were employed in the most recent data, up 16 900 from the previous month and up 52 000 over the year. More women in work translates to more women with financial security, social independence and better prospects to make safe decisions. But we know that structural challenges still limit some women’s participation in the workforce. Nearly 80 per cent of the 250 000 single parents in Victoria are strong women who carry the lion’s share of caring responsibilities. We also know that the impact of the pandemic has been and continues to be uneven. So we are prioritising investment in jobs and employment to support more women into work.

Jobs Victoria services support a range of jobseekers, including older women, women from different cultural backgrounds and women with mental health issues. The government has invested $250 million in the Jobs Victoria Fund. $150 million of this is earmarked to support women into work and to create just shy of 7000 jobs. But our Jobs Victoria wage subsidy scheme in addition has already helped to create over 4000 jobs for people who have been disadvantaged by the pandemic, including lots of women over 45. More than 62 per cent of these jobs have been taken up by women.

This morning the Premier and I met with an inspirational single mum, Chelsea Hinds, who lost her job as an apprentice carpenter in December 2020 through no fault of her own. Between her own sheer determination and some help with a wage subsidy, Chelsea has been placed in an apprentice joiner position with Kubale Constructions in Warragul. We wish her every success.