The heroes, or should that be heroines, of Australia's "jobs boom" are women.
In the year to May, female employment rose 3.2 per cent, or 183,500, while male employment was up 1.8 per cent, or 120,400.
But there is a longer-term trend at play with the participation rate — the percentage of people in work, or looking for work — showing women are closing the gap.
More women are entering or re-entering the workforce, gaining better qualifications (40 per cent of women aged 25-29 have a uni degree or above, compared to 31 per cent of men) and working in sectors where the jobs growth is — think health and education.
As for wages, the gap isn't narrowing. Average weekly ordinary time earnings for women are 15 per cent lower than men, roughly in line with the long-term trend.
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