New data released yesterday from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has shown that women in Victoria and New South Wales have lost jobs faster than men in the second week of July, something commentators have said is a sign of a looming “pink recession” as a result of COVID-19.
The term “pink recession” speaks not only to the impact of support measures such as JobKeeper being withdrawn from a female dominated early childhood education and care (ECEC) system months ahead of other sectors and industries, but also to the fact that during the pandemic women have seen faster job losses than men, whilst also shouldering the burden of an increase in caring responsibilities during periods of social distancing and lockdown measures.
Payroll jobs as measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) dropped by 1.4 per cent in Victoria in the week between 4 and 11 July, as the COVID crisis escalated and the state entered a second lockdown.
While payroll jobs held by men fell by 0.5 per cent in the second week of July, it dropped by 2.1 per cent for women in Victoria.
