Workers in the rapidly growing disability services sector are being paid below their minimum entitlements because the hours they spend travelling between clients are not recognised, new university research has found.

The research has prompted union calls for fairer pay and better training to equip the flood of new workers that will be needed to meet future demand in the $22 billion national disability sector.

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Researchers Fiona Macdonald, Eleanor Bentham and Jenny Malone from RMIT University have found evidence of underpayment as a result of work being organised into periods of paid and unpaid work time. Their study says the National Disability Insurance Scheme has allowed for the systemic non-payment of working hours for homecare workers.

"While it is not the blatant wage theft we have seen in other sectors, it is as serious," Dr McDonald said. "These workers are increasingly invisible in a highly feminised workforce that are isolated providing support to people in their homes."