IB2015/51 Pacific Labour Mobility: Removing the Gender Blinkers

In June this year the Australian government announced a significant expansion of its Seasonal Worker Program (SWP). The program now covers the entire agriculture sector in Australia and will extend to include additional accommodation and tourism sectors in specific regions. The number of Pacific seasonal workers that Australian employers can recruit in these industries has been uncapped. To date, women�s participation in the SWP and New Zealand�s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme has been low (Bailey 2014; Chattier 2015). Increasing women�s participation in these schemes is crucial if development gains are to be maximised. In this, the second in a series of In Briefs that consider women�s participation in the SWP, we examine what might be done to address the existing gender imbalances.