Silvia Salazar

Senior Research Fellow
Qualifications

PhD (Paris School of Economics)

Telephone+ 61 8 9266 9784
Research Fields

Gender inequality, household economics, microeconomics, development economics, ethnic inequality, public policy

Biography

Dr Silvia Salazar is a senior research fellow at Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre. Silvia is a labour economist specialising in gender inequality, household economics, and public policy, topics on which she has published numerous reports and articles in academic journals.

Silvia has led multiple reports and commissioned work most notably the “Decent Work” report on the precarity of Australian workers, the “Cost and Benefits of Reproductive Leave” in partnership with the HSU union, the “Green Shoots” report that examined the environmental footprint of Western Australia’s industry and the “Modelling changes in heavy industry workforce and skills in WA as Western Australia transitions to net zero by 2050 ” report commissioned by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

Silvia has also worked in partnership with different government institutions and local councils to deliver public policy analysis on gender economics, the green economy, housing and regional development. This has led to the implementation of government strategies at the federal and state levels.

Silvia obtained her PhD at the Paris School of Economics and the Sorbonne University and has previously held academic and teaching positions in France and Brazil before coming to Australia. She is a regular media commentator on socio-economic issues and has presented her research at numerous international conferences and policy symposiums.

Projects

See All
Supporting small businesses through the business of electrification Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Matthew Lyons, Silvia Salazar Australia’s small and medium enterprises are central to employment, community vitality and economic resilience, yet many are left behind in the energy transition. Evidence from Energy Consumers Australia (ECA) and COSBOA shows a large share of SMEs experience energy hardship... Read article ProjectJuly 2026 - December 2026Business and Industry  |  Energy, resources and sustainability  |  Policy Evaluation  |  Productivity and Innovation Read More
Designing integrated, person-centred models through population and health planning Alan Duncan, Silvia Salazar, Lili Loan Vu, Jacquelyn Zhang Advance Ageing WA commissioned a comprehensive and forward-looking program of research to design aged care models that are rights-based, person-centred, and fully integrated with the health system. This project will anticipate the needs of a diverse and ageing Western Australian... Read article ProjectDecember 2025 - August 2026Health, Wellbeing and Disadvantage  |  Population, Ageing and Retirement Read More
Modelling the dynamics, predictors and mitigators of housing stress in Australia Alan Duncan, Silvia Salazar, Chris Twomey This project will use predictive analytics to identify leading indicators of financial stress that can help target households at risk of severe housing affordability stress, rental and mortgage arrears, and ultimately default or eviction. We will apply dynamic econometric modelling... Read article ProjectApril 2025 - December 2026Health, Wellbeing and Disadvantage  |  Housing Pathways and Affordability  |  Income and Wealth Read More
The costs and benefits of implementing a universal reproductive health leave entitlement in Australia Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Silvia Salazar The Health Services Union (HSU), the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) and Aware Super engaged the services of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) to assess the cost of implementing a universal reproductive... Read article ProjectOctober 2024 - February 2025Gender and Diversity  |  Health, Wellbeing and Disadvantage  |  Participation and Employment Read More
WA Women’s Report Card 2022 Alan Duncan, Daniel Kiely, Silvia Salazar Together with the Department of Communities, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre is developing the 2022 Women’s Report Card for Western Australia. The 2022 Women’s Report Card presents fact-based information to raise awareness of the status of Western Australian (WA) women. It... Read article ProjectFebruary 2022 - August 2022Education and Skills  |  Gender and Diversity  |  Health, Wellbeing and Disadvantage  |  Income and Wealth  |  Indigenous Wellbeing  |  Participation and Employment Read More
Indigenous Employment Index Rebecca Cassells, Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan, Jaslin Kalsi, Lili Loan Vu, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Silvia Salazar The Minderoo Foundation’s Generation One initiative pursues a goal to achieve employment parity with and for Indigenous Australians within one generation. This means engaging and retaining 250,000 Indigenous people in employment in the next two decades. Noting that the lack... Read article ProjectJune 2021Business and Industry  |  Indigenous Wellbeing  |  Participation and Employment Read More

Publications

See All
Western Australia’s Resources Sector in Transition: Securing long term value in a changing world Tayla Chown, Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Matthew Lyons, Angelica Munoz, Silvia Salazar Executive Summary Western Australia’s prosperity has been shaped by one of the most remarkable resource endowments in the world. Over the past several decades, the state’s resources sector has transformed it into a global economic powerhouse. Resources now contribute around... Read article Publication24 June 2026Focus on Industry Read More
Executive Summary: Western Australia’s Resources Sector in Transition: Securing long term value in a changing world Tayla Chown, Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Matthew Lyons, Angelica Munoz, Silvia Salazar Executive Summary Western Australia’s prosperity has been shaped by one of the most remarkable resource endowments in the world. Over the past several decades, the state’s resources sector has transformed it into a global economic powerhouse. Resources now contribute around... Read article Publication24 June 2026Focus on Industry Read More
Presentation: WA’s Resources Sector in Transition: Securing long term value in a changing world Alan Duncan, Silvia Salazar View the slides by lead Bankwest Curtin Economic Centre authors Professor Alan Duncan and Dr Silvia Salazar from the launch of the report WA’s Resources Sector in Transition: Securing long term value in a changing world. About the report The... Read article Publication24 June 2026Focus on Industry Read More
Housing as Asset-Based Welfare in Australia: An Investigation Through a Consumption Lens Christopher Phelps, Gavin Wood, Silvia Salazar, Rachel Ong ViforJ Housing asset-based welfare has long been a key component of Australia’s social policy. This resonates with a parallel literature identifying a trade-off between homeownership and the size of nations’ welfare states, wherein owner-occupiers in smaller welfare states tend to come... Read article Publication5 March 2026Journal Articles Read More
How do the 2025 Federal election commitments on cost-of-living measures stack up? Alan Duncan, Silvia Salazar, Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos The cost of living has been front and centre in the Federal election campaign. Rising prices, the financial pressures created by persistently high consumer price inflation (CPI), and the failure of wages to keep pace with rising costs, have all... Read article Publication2 May 2025Federal Election 2025 insights  |  Policy Insights  |  Economic Policy  |  Social Issues  |  Taxation and Welfare Read More
The costs and benefits of implementing a universal reproductive health leave entitlement in Australia Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Silvia Salazar, Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos The Health Services Union (HSU), the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) and Aware Super have engaged the services of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) to assess the cost of implementing a universal... Read article Publication9 April 2025Research Reports Read More