The COVID recession is having a particularly devastating impact on Australian women in lower skilled work - but new data shows us that these women were already doing it really tough before COVID hit.
What will the future of work look like for these women?
THREAD👇#auspol
What will the future of work look like for these women?
THREAD👇#auspol
The share of women in the labour market who did not study beyond high school or have a Certificate II or III is 2.8m Australian women. Of those women, almost 600,000 were either under-employed or unemployed before COVID. 
If you fly over the underemployment numbers at a national level, you can't see the dire situation for these women at ground level.
Inadequate hours of work is an endemic, longstanding part of their working lives. The labour market is just not meeting their needs. Not even close.
Inadequate hours of work is an endemic, longstanding part of their working lives. The labour market is just not meeting their needs. Not even close.
Before COVID, the underutilisation rate (jobless rate + underemployment) of lower skilled women on the Central Coast and North Coast of NSW was more than 40 percent.
In Tasmania it was above 35 percent. In Greater Perth and South Eastern Queensland almost 30 percent. #auspol
In Tasmania it was above 35 percent. In Greater Perth and South Eastern Queensland almost 30 percent. #auspol
These women are the unseen human face of Australia’s underemployment crisis.
They are young, they live in regional towns and the outer suburbs of our big cities, and they did not study much beyond high school.
They are young, they live in regional towns and the outer suburbs of our big cities, and they did not study much beyond high school.
These women are likely to work in hospitality and sales, and as cleaners and laundry workers. Their largest area of employment is as carers, aides and community services workers.
There's a big group of women out there who are not being listened to - who are getting ignored by the Morrison Government, treated as though they are invisible.
If we want to do better by these women, we have to see them, and we have to hear them.
If we want to do better by these women, we have to see them, and we have to hear them.
Despite nearly 30 years of economic growth until this year, national economic policy seems to have left these women behind.
Their situation is not inevitable. There is a lot – *a lot* – we can do to give these women more choices.
Their situation is not inevitable. There is a lot – *a lot* – we can do to give these women more choices.
