Australia jobs summit to focus on equal pay, more opportunities for women

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is leading the way for the federal government's jobs summit to prioritise female worker empowerment, particularly regarding equal pay and opportunity.

The Albanese government's highly anticipated event will run from 1 to 2 September. About 100 invitees from businesses, unions, civil society groups, and other levels of government are expected to attend.

Individual ministers will lead the work in certain areas of interest. Meanwhile, some of the summit's results will influence the October budget.

Read more: Prime Minister Albanese announces plans to boost Australian jobs

Minister for Women Katy Gallagher will handle work on the labour market for women, while Minister for Employment Tony Burke will co-ordinate discussions on job security and wages.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil will handle migration; Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth will address workforce participation and barriers to employment; and Minister of Industry Ed Husic will take renewables, digital and manufacturing.

Apart from equal pay and opportunity for women, topics that the government will discuss at the jobs summit include:

• How to keep unemployment low and boost productivity and incomes

• How to promote secure, well-paid jobs and solid and sustainable wages growth

• How to expand employment opportunities, including for the most disadvantaged

• How to address skills shortages and get the skills mix right 

• How to improve migration settings

• How to maximise jobs and opportunities from renewable energy, tackle climate change, the digital economy, the care economy, and a 'Future Made in Australia'

The Treasury will lead the development of an employment white paper following the jobs summit. The summit's outcomes will inform the white paper, but there will also be a call for public submissions and community consultations. Treasury will complete the white paper in 12 months.

In a news conference, the Prime Minister said there was much "goodwill and real enthusiasm" from business groups and the Australian Council of Trade Unions to make the summit successful.

"I've said before that people have conflict fatigue. People want less argument, and they want more solutions," Albanese said. "My government is determined to deliver that."

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the economic challenges are plenty, but so are the opportunities. The summit would thus maximise the efforts of experts to find solutions to rising inflation, falling real wages, and labour shortages.