Gender pay gap: could closing it solve Australia's skills shortage?

Australia is in the grip of a major skilled worker shortage with 85% of business reporting the lack of workers is holding back their ability to operate at full capacity.

There are currently 425,000 job vacancies across the country and the National Skills Commission has projected that over the five years to 2026 the economy will require an additional 1.2 million jobs, with female-dominated industries experiencing the biggest increases – including healthcare and social assistance, education and training, and accommodation and food services.

Now, a study has found halving the wage gap between men and women could fix the current skills shortage and create the equivalent of 500,000 additional full-time jobs. Closing the wage gap entirely would create an additional one million jobs.

Today on Please Explain, economics correspondent Rachel Clun joins Nathanael Cooper from the campaign trail with Anthony Albanese

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