Percentage of women in full-time work continues to increase

The percentage of women employed in full-time work continues to increase, while the percentage of women not in the labour force (NILF) steadily decreases, according to the latest labour force report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

 

The report indicates that 57.2 per cent of working-aged women are employed, with 39.8 per cent not in the labour force. This includes women who are not currently employed and are not currently seeking employment. The number of women in this category has been steadily declining for the past four years. In January 2015, 41.8 per cent of women were categorised as NILF, indicating a decrease of 4.8 per cent for January 2019.

 

There is a clear indication that these women are entering the workforce, as the percentage of women employed has risen from 54.6 per cent in 2015 to 57.2 per cent in January 2019 – an increase of 4.6 per cent.

 

 

It would appear that the percentage of women engaged in full-time work is increasing greater than those in part time. In the period from January 2015 to January 2019, the percentage of women employed full time has increased from 30 per cent to 31.8 per cent, an increase of 5.8 per cent. In comparison, the number of women in part-time employment has increased from 24.6 per cent to 25.4 per cent – a rise of 3.1 per cent.

 

The increase of women in the work force, in particular in full time work, indicates a potential increasing demand for child care services. It is likely that the shift from NILF to full-time employment signals the change from stay at home mothers to working mothers needing external care arrangements. This is likely to impact both long day care services and outside school hours care.