Economy

Despite the fact that women have disproportionately lost their jobs and hours of work in the recession the Government’s stimulus measures have been disproportionately focussed on male-intensive industries according to new analysis by the Australia Institute.

“Between March and April the number of women employed fell 5.3 per cent compared to 3.9 per cent for men, and for hours worked the pattern was the same with women losing 11.5 percent of their hours compared to the loss by men of 7.5 percent. It is clear that women are facing the brunt of the recession so far,” said Dr. Richard Denniss, chief economist at the Australia Institute.

COVID-19 had an immediate economic and social effect on all Australians. As businesses shut, state borders closed and millions of Australians lost all or part of their income, State Governments stepped in and provided immediate relief.

by Ebony Bennett
[Originally published by the Canberra Times, 16 May 2020]

by Richard Deniss
[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 11 May 2020]

Would you prefer to double your salary or to double the rate at which it will grow in the next few years? Personally, I would rather a high-income that’s growing slowly. But the Morrison Government is telling anyone that will listen that we shouldn’t focus on the 10 percent reduction in national income headed our way because that lower income will ‘snap back’ soon.