Treasury Committee: Inquiry on Jobs, growth, and productivity after coronavirus

The Women’s Budget Group submitted a response to the Treasury Committee Inquiry on Jobs, growth, and productivity after coronavirus in May 2021.

Summary of WBG’s response:

The Women’s Budget Group believes that equality, wellbeing, and sustainability rather than growth should be the primary aim of Government economic policy. The focus on GDP fails to capture what really matters in our economy and the pursuit of exponential growth is fundamentally at odds with living sustainably in a world with finite resources.

Investment in paid care services improves wellbeing through ensuring that people’s care needs are met; it improves gender equality because it raises the overall employment rate and reduces the gender employment gap, and it is sustainable because care jobs are low-carbon jobs. Investment in care could create 2.7 times as many jobs as the equivalent money invested in construction.

A comprehensive Equality Impact Assessment is needed to ensure both that the Plan for Growth meets its aims, and that the Government fulfils its legal obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

You can read our full response here.