Where the future work skills debate goes missing

“Future Skills”, a new report by Australian thinktank AlphaBeta for Google Australia, argues that positive human traits, rather than knowledge or skills, will be job seekers’ unique selling point in the years ahead.

Manufacturing in Australia – a political topic

The structure of manufacturing in industrialised countries like Australia and the USA is very different now from what it was in the 1950s and 1960s. Veronica Sheen wonders if those demanding a revival of local manufacturing really know what they wish for.

The world of work is changing – what hopes for ‘productive ageing’?

Age discrimination, tough performance criteria, funding cuts and offshoring of jobs – Veronica Sheen says we need a full understanding of what the ageing workforce is up against in order to improve things.

Inequality in the spotlight

Could wealth and income inequality be the reason for current volatile political situations in many countries, the ascendancy of maverick political figures and the fracturing of Australia’s political system? Dr. Veronica Sheen makes a compelling case based on French economist Piketty’s ideas.

Productive ageing – please explain!

While everybody talks about 'Productive Ageing' in glowing terms, Dr Veronica Sheen, social researcher at Monash University, wonders if we are not setting ourselves up for another form of social exclusion.