Kathy Kostyrko from Hays Specialist Recruitment said workplaces are becoming more family friendly. Picture: Mark Calleja

Employment department data finds 187,500 more women were employed in the year to January, taking the total number employed nationally to 5.5 million.

Men still outnumber women by 828,000 workers, however, women are closing the gap, accounting for 60 per cent of all new workers last year.

Recruitment firm Hays director Kathy Kostyrko said more women were not only entering the workforce, but staying in the workforce, and returning to the workforce at an older age.

“It’s very pleasing to see it’s happening right across the demographics,” she said.

“Employers are becoming more family-friendly and more open to flexibility in the workplace, so because of that, women are more likely to stay employed even when it’s just part time rather than leaving the workforce altogether.

“There’s also the issue of women, at an older age, staying in the workforce for longer, as their earning potential is greater and the superannuation balance is not as great as they need it to be.

“More employers value having women in the workplace.”

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Career Development Association of Australia advocacy chair Rebecca Fraser said more women were assessing their job options after having children and were not necessarily returning to their previous employer.

While more organisations provide opportunities for women to go back to work in senior roles, including on part-time hours, female jobseekers also were aware of such policies as anti-discrimination laws that could help them return to the workforce in the best job for them, she said.

“Many women feel they have the right to go back to work,” Ms Fraser said.

“It’s no longer expected that because you have children, you’re no longer going to go on with your job.

“There still isn’t enough women in the workforce and there’s still challenges around gender diversity targets not being met and some businesses not being able to support the level of flexibility required.”

Ms Kostyrko said employers in male-dominated industries from mining to financial services were requesting female candidates be among those put forward by recruiters for consideration for roles, and not just to meet gender targets and policies.

“They tend to say ‘Look, we’re struggling to get any kind of gender equality here, the kind of jobs we have are just not appealing to women’ — they recognise the value of having women in their workforce and are redesigning jobs to be more appealing to women,” Ms Kostyrko said.

“People are trying to appeal much more to the cultures that we have across our population, there’s much more awareness of gender participation of women in the workforce.”

Bree Godden job shares the position of senior communications manager at YMCA NSW to ensure her toddler is not in care five days a week. Picture: Toby ZernaSource:News Limited

Bree Godden was uncomfortable placing her 10-month-old child in fulltime care to return to work full time, so set about finding a new role with flexibility.

She job-shares her communications manager position at YMCA NSW, spending three days a week in the office, which also allows her to work the hours she wants without compromising her career goals.

“We’re really committed to making it work, and everyone here has been so welcoming and accommodating,” she said.

YMCA NSW chief executive Leisa Hart said she just wanted the right person for the job, or in this case, the right people.

“Daily we see the benefit of two considered viewpoints coming at an issue — it’s like the old saying, two heads are better than one,” she said.

“Employers must be flexible to be competitive.

“I am a big believer in encouraging parents to continue pushing their professional career goals, if that is what they want to do.

“I know of at least one recent hire who applied for their position at YMCA NSW as a direct result of knowing about job share — and what it says about us as a family friendly, forward-thinking organisation.”

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