Employment Minister Michaelia Cash wants more men to take lower-paid nursing and teaching jobs and to work flexible hours, as Australia faces what can appear to be a "scary" jobs future.

Addressing a business breakfast in Sydney on Friday, Senator Cash said women should not continue to be unconsciously channelled into lower-paid occupations and men into high-paid ones.

"We keep on talking about, as government and a society, women needing to go into the non-traditional roles that have the higher-paid salaries," she said.

"Why aren't we also encouraging men to go into the non-traditional roles with the lower-paid salaries like nursing and teaching. You've got to have a two-way exchange there."