Targeting men to work in the child, aged and disability care sectors is one idea proposed by the state treasurers to boost productivity, challenge gender stereotypes and address workforce shortages.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will release more than 400 submissions made to the employment white paper taskforce on Saturday.
The board of treasurers’ submission includes proposals for reduced barriers to childcare and education, better wages and conditions in the care sector, upskilling, more flexible training options and streamlining visa processes.
The board, which comprises all state treasurers, submitted a series of “high-level ideas”.
Addressing gender stereotypes, workforce shortages and productivity in the care sector by targeting mid-career men for retraining and upskilling.
Making training for the job you want (as opposed to the job you have) tax deductible.
Providing incentives for employers to hire employees from underrepresented cohorts.
Creating pathways for First Nations people to work on major regional projects.
Exploring incentives for university graduates and highly skilled migrants to work in regional areas.
Chalmers said the paper process was “building on the success of the [2022] jobs and skills summit”. After the summit, 36 outcomes were agreed on for immediate action, and the government said 20 of those outcomes have been completed so far.
“Our goal is to build a bigger, better-trained workforce, boost incomes and living standards and to create more opportunities for more people in more parts of Australia,” Chalmers said.
He said the feedback in the submissions would help shape the white paper and the government’s policies, and would be taken seriously even though the government “can’t implement every good suggestion”.
The board of treasurers was created in 2017 and includes all state and territory treasurers, with a chair that rotates each year.
The ACT chief minister, treasurer and board chair, Andrew Barr, wrote that the areas covered reflected common concerns for all states and territories, “noting each individual jurisdiction also faces their own distinct challenges and opportunities”.
“Understanding and addressing barriers and disincentives to work is vital for maximising economic participation across the economy and supporting greater workforce diversity,” he wrote, adding that better childcare and education access would increase workforce participation, improve child development and avoid social costs.
Aged care and disability care also needed to be considered, Barr wrote, linking it to “challenging conditions, low pay rates, and difficulty faced in recruiting workers in the aged care, childcare and disability care sectors”. Barr also wrote of the need to improve labour market outcomes “for those who face challenges in employment, including First Nations people, those who live in rural and remote areas, younger and older Australians, people with disability, and those who may experience discrimination”.
“Low unemployment and high inflation mean broad-based government spending is unlikely to deliver the job creation benefits achieved in recent times,” he wrote.
“Instead, Australia needs appropriate targeted interventions to help Australians in cohorts who are experiencing above-average unemployment to move into work.” Barr also canvassed the need for faster and more flexible training options than apprenticeships, for appropriate migration settings and for a range of other issues.
The white paper is due for release in September.
