LGBTI Australians have lower workforce participation rates

Significant employment disparities were found between heterosexual or cisgender Australians and LGBTI Australians, with new research revealing ongoing structural inequalities in the labour market.

In recent findings by Monash University, employment inequalities for LGBTI Australians were found to persist when accounting for age, education, and socioeconomic background. The study’s lead researcher, clinically trained epidemiologist and research fellow at the Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Dr Dee Tomic (pictured), said this shows that structural and workplace-level barriers “continue to shape” the ability for LGBTI Australians to access secure and sustainable employment.

Higher unemployment, underrepresentation

The study found that LGBTI adults experienced higher unemployment, reduced labour force participation, and a higher concentration in less stable or lower-paid sectors in comparison to heterosexual or cisgender Australians.

In addition, gay and lesbian participants were found to be more than twice as likely to be unemployed compared to heterosexual Australians and were also underrepresented in trades, manual occupations, manufacturing, and construction sectors.

Monash University found that bisexual participants had high rates of unemployment and non-participation in the labour force, were more likely to work part-time or take unpaid leave, and were more likely to exit employment over time. Bisexual participants were also found to be less likely to work in agricultural, forestry, fishing, and mining.

The data also revealed that transgender and gender diverse participants worked fewer hours on average and were significantly less likely to be employed in manufacturing, utilities and construction when compared to cisgender peers.

Psychological safety at work

Tomic said employment was a major social determinant of health, and reduced access to secure work can have long-term consequences for financial security, mental health, and wellbeing. She called the research findings “concerning” from an equity and public health perspective.

The researchers suggested that exclusion from industries may reflect direct discrimination and anticipatory avoidance, “where LGBTQ+ individuals steer away from workplaces perceived as unsafe or unwelcoming”.

The data revealed that cis-male-dominated and culturally conservative sectors, such as construction, manufacturing and mining, were areas that had particularly low representation by LGBTI Australians.

Tomic suggested that some LGBTI workers may prioritise psychological safety over pay or career progression in a workplace culture that they find feels hostile or exclusionary, resulting in occupational segregation, limiting long-term economic security.

‘Broader cultural change’ required

The paper’s authors noted that smaller sample sizes in the research limited the ability to detect all differences for transgender and gender-diverse participants, which they suggest highlights ongoing gaps in national data collection.

This study in question, Work participation disparities among LGBTQ+ Australians: Insights from a nationally representative cohort study, was published in the journal PLOS One and was led by Tomic. It analysed data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey and is the first study that examines both sexual and gender identity in relation to work participation using nationally representative longitudinal data.

Tomic said that improving LGBTI inclusion is not just about individual workplaces, but requires a “broader cultural change, inclusive education and career pathways, and structural reforms” to enable safe, meaningful, and secure employment for all.

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