Accelerating Gender Economic Equality: Why Career Development Must Lead Australia’s Workforce Transformation
Australia’s future prosperity hinges on a workforce where every person can participate fully, progress confidently and build meaningful careers. Yet today, gendered pathways in education and work continue to limit women’s access to secure and well-paid roles while holding our nation back from meeting critical skills needs. A new analysis from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) reinforces what the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA) has long advocated: career development is a powerful lever for change, one that must be embedded throughout policy and practice across schools, training settings and workplaces.
The JSA Gender Economic Equality Study reveals that only one in five education and training fields in Australia are gender balanced. Women remain under-represented in industries such as clean energy, digital technology and advanced manufacturing which are central to Australia’s economic transition. Women are also more likely to work below their skill and qualification level, reducing earning potential and limiting national productivity. Importantly, gendered assumptions about careers take hold long before subject or career decisions are made. Children and young people absorb ideas from school, family and community that shape their beliefs about possible futures. For First Nations women, culturally and linguistically diverse women and women with disability, intersecting barriers make access to secure employment even more difficult.
To shift these patterns, CICA calls for career development to be recognised and embedded as a core element of education, skills and workforce policy. This includes ensuring specialist career development support in every school, career learning embedded in the curriculum from primary school onward and lifelong access to qualified practitioners to guide transitions, especially for women returning to the workforce after caring responsibilities. CICA also welcomes the Study’s recognition of the roles of Jobs and Skills Councils and ACARA in reshaping career possibilities and learning experiences for all young people by tackling gender segregation in emerging and priority sectors and strengthening career learning within the Australian Curriculum.
CICA Executive Director David Carney highlights the direct economic gains that come from stronger investment in career development: “Government investment in career development is a direct investment in economic growth. By enabling women to access the full breadth of future opportunities, participate in secure work and progress into leadership, we unlock both individual potential and the nation’s productivity. Policy action in this area will pay dividends across every priority growth sector.”
The JSA Study provides a clear national roadmap with 10 practical recommendations spanning education, training, workplace culture, career support and intersectional policy alignment. Responsibility is distributed across key system leaders including the Office for Women, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Jobs and Skills Australia, Jobs and Skills Councils, ACARA, state and territory governments, employers, industry and education providers. Career development capability uplift is woven throughout, recognising its impact on systemic change.
Career development is a recognised enabler of national reform priorities including increasing women’s workforce participation, reducing skills shortages, strengthening career sustainability, improving labour mobility, advancing Closing the Gap outcomes and achieving the ambitions set out in the Working for Women Strategy and the National Skills Agreement. To ensure every Australian can access and advance in meaningful and economically secure careers, CICA stands ready to partner with government and key industry and education stakeholders in implementing this vital agenda.
Learn more by visiting the Jobs and Skills Australia research portal: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/research/studies/gender-economic-equality-study
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