Ageing, work, care in Australia: Progress and prospects in meeting Sustainable Development Goals of inclusive growth and gender equality

Abstract

The ageing of Australia’s population and workforce presents significant social, economic and policy challenges to government, employers and individuals themselves. In response, the federal government has progressively introduced a number of policies including increasing the age of eligibility for the aged pension and encouraging older workers to stay in the workforce longer. At the same time, the government policy of care for the elderly of ‘ageing in place’ sets up conflict for workers, as informal care (by family and friends, traditionally provided by women) is the most common form of care for aged Australians. However, mature women are entering and remaining, in the workforce in significant numbers, thus creating a work-care tension at work and in the home. This chapter provides an overview of Australia’s changing population and labour market, analysed by age and gender. This is followed by a discussion of government policies relating to two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 8 and SDG 10. The chapter also discusses results of the 2019 Australian Mature Workers in Organisations Survey (MWOS) for insight into the employment and care experiences of mature workers and concludes with reflections on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older Australians at work.