Employment in Australia
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) tells us that as of January 2012 11,448,500 of us are in paid employment. With a low unemployment rate of 5.1% it paints a pretty healthy picture for our economy.
The labour force participation rate is a huge indicator of the economic health of a nation, but simply being employed is not all that matters to individuals or to economies. People don’t spend money when they are not feeling secure in their employment and they don’t feel happy when they aren’t secure. You have to dig deeper into the statistics to find out if the labour market’s needs are being met and if real wage gains mean that life is better for workers.
New industries seem to form out of nowhere these days and it is a challenge for a lot of workers and education providers to keep up with the changing skills needs, and for employers to find people who fit their evolving employment needs.
We hear a lot about Australia’s incredible mining boom and the job opportunities it creates, but are there enough skilled workers to fill those jobs? Are those jobs here to stay? Is there enough training targeting at fulfilling those emerging job criteria?
And what about jobs in the non-mining sectors? It’s common knowledge that the Internet has changed the face of Australia retail and the jobs needs of that sector. But what about other industries that have felt the changing force of the Internet?
Throughout March, we will explore the many and varied issues surrounding employment in Australia and look at how things have changed. We will also take a look at where they are going.
For further details or to discuss your blog ideas, please contact Lynne at lhughes@openforum.com.au.
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Provocative
April 30, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Employment in Australia
The areas of concern we aren’t having a close look at are:
1. Why manufactoring is shrinking and going offshore?
2. How long will employers keep employee’s on casual contracts as oppose to granting them full-time contracts?
3. Will our country,employers and employee’s come to realise in order to be competative in a global economy penalty rates must be revised and made more flexible and see that foreign investors will give our country a miss due to the high cost of "paid" annual leave and loading?
4. In a ageing society where the media says we don’t want more migrants coming to our shores out of concern for natural resources, employment opportunities and housing. The government demands that we work longer, yet doesn’t provide any fail safe legislation that ensures employers hirer those of a mature age out of preference for younger inexperienced employees; extending the time they can get the pension or collect their superannuation. In most cases the end up on Unemployment Benefits and below the poverty line.
5. We need to take a look at child labor laws, what is the youngest age a person can be employed and how many hours per day they are allowed to work. If a employee is classed as a Junior they shouldn’t be working full-time hours and paid less than there Senior counterparts. Those that remain in school should be restricted to working no more than 4hrs per day.
EwenK
May 28, 2012 at 6:25 am
Are the ABS figures acurate?
Only 30% of Australians believe the ABS unemployment figure according to Roy Morgan Research.
These are the latest figures from Roy Morgan Research for April, they use a more accurate model than the ABS and we all know which model the incumbent governments will use.
In April 2012 according to Roy Morgan:
Merv09
June 6, 2012 at 5:50 am
The Destruction of Australian Industries
Unfortunately the Resources exports is trade, and reciprocal trade is demanded. Our Wholesale and retail shops buy the Foreign goods as they are subdised by the relatively low price set for our coal and mineral resources, and this will continue until there is a bit of intelligence shown by our politicians. This seems to be unlikely to happen be cause to join a Party, any Party, all you have to do is sign a formto"Promise to agree with the decisions of the majority of the party". I do not believe this entices those people with the necessary integrity and intelligence to join those perties, I believe that they should be required to promise to Honour and Obey the specific Constitution. I think the conduct and decisions made by those over the last forty years, proves that. The same can be said of our Taxation system, there is worlds of improvement for that.
qwerty502010
October 8, 2012 at 5:21 am
Employment in Australia
For many older Australians getting a job was paramount and by working hard and having a good work ethic these jobs became permanent. As a permanent employee the financial institutions smiled upon the workers and gave them loans to buy houses and cars, food and clothes and a few luxeries in life
In the same age the employers were honest and showed loyalty to their employees and generally strived to keep the business going by meeting the challengers of the market place.It was regularly reported that employees were retiring after more than 30 years with the same employer. With this sort of stability in the work place and industry the Australian GDP was constant and inflation was controllable by governments
Fast forward to the present employment climate and it can be clearly seen that the loss of permanent employment opportunities is directly linked to modern management’s lack of skill in the manager role. There is a very definite move to short time labour hire firms with the explanation that it is considered necessary to have "flexibility " in the employment of the staff. This amounts to "when the going gets tough or it’s cheaper to outsource or it costs to much to employ Australian workers, we want to be able to just sack them"
With the present labour force now above 60% in casual employment, it is little wonder that workers are not spending, borrowing or taking the time for leisure activities. The financial institutions are now refusing loans to applicants for housing or other items because of applicants casual employment status.
When are we going to wake up to the fact that unless empolyees are in permanent work, doing all those jobs currently being outsourced to foreign countries, we will not have any money left to purchase the goods and services that the employees themselves are working at
Every time a government lets a company go overseas,every time there is an outsourcing of jobs, every time that land is sold to foreign ownership, the GDP falls, the cost of living rises, the health of the nation suffers from stress and now it can be seen , the resultant loss of social behaviour,law and order
Does anybody think I am kidding. Look around at your community. 14000 sacked in Queensland, Murderes are being sentenced to 10 years with parole making it less time because the prison system is being outsourced. Nurses and doctors being sacked and then rehired back into their old positions as casuals by labour hire firms
Today’s work ethic has fallen to the new low of and I quote " what the hell do I care because tomorrow I probably won’t have a job" unquote
It is time that the people in planning positions that can affect the lives of all Australians realise that the old values have to be reinstated before anything meaningfull can be achieved for this crumbling nation and the rot stopped.
maxwell
January 20, 2013 at 7:10 pm
An employee contributes labor
An employee contributes labor and expertise to an endeavor of an employer and is usually hired to perform specific duties which are packaged into a job.
AlexC
May 24, 2012 at 12:21 am
Silver lining
This is a great article and very topical.
The Global Economic Crisis has ensured many companies have failed or gone bankrupt and employment rates dip. But, there is always a silver lining. Never before have there been so many aides for people looking to find employment, especially in the education sector. UniJobs.com.au is a great website which easily connects employers to potential employees. It’s easy to use and helpful for those looking for a career in universities.
Keep up the good work.
Merv09
June 6, 2012 at 5:11 am
getting an accurate tax system
Jeremy Frame
July 20, 2012 at 5:53 am
REGARDING THE ABS STATS
The A.B.S. states that there are 713,000 Australians currently unemployed and looking for work, which gives us that ‘healthy’ figure of 5.1% of people unemployed. However, using the same set of ABS figures, we also have a very large number of casually employed people, of which 471,300 are looking for full-time employment or more hours. It also has to be noted that the ABS use the international criteria of being employed, which counts employment as having worked AT LEAST ONE HOUR in the week the figures are collected.
I don’t think any reasonable person can call one hour of work per week as being meaningfully employed, and one can only speculate as to how many of the 471,300 casual workers that are seeking more work are even working enough hours to support themselves independently of governmental assistance.
So if "labour force participation rate is a huge indicator of the economic health of a nation" suddenly things are not nearly as rosy as the government’s picture of our economic health.
familyfirst
May 29, 2013 at 2:37 am
Youth Employment Opportunities in Australia with Housing
Family First believes that youth opportunities in Australia should be given a special priority. Youth opportunities should provide youth employment for their independency. It also believes that people of all ages and abilities should have the opportunity to earn an income. So, Family First is committed towards removing the entrance barriers in seeking a job or working additional hours. The tragedy of workplace regulations is that while it seeks to protect the interests of youth employment in work, it effectively holds many others out. The low skilled and least able are the most likely victims. Tearing down unjust regulations is about creating a stronger and more inclusive youth opportunities in Australia. Those who work in the field of their interest and choice seem to work more efficiently. Family First is giving special preference to the disadvantaged and the neglected. Pricing people – young people in particular – out of the job market denies youth opportunities of buying houses in the future. It is not just bad for the economy, it is morally wrong. Family First wants to make sure that you can own your home, i.e. housing in Australia for retirees before retirement is desirable and is committed to keep the great Australian dream alive and real. Housing in Australia should be achievable and affordable for every Australian where they can feel safe and in turn keeps the family together in an ideal environment.
Philiploughran
September 17, 2013 at 9:22 am
During the economic meltdown
During the economic meltdown in the past two years many workers lost their jobs. The sharp reduction in the financial worth of key financial assets such as, properties, shares etc., led to a depletion of monetary resources to keep many firms in business.
mobilepundits
September 19, 2013 at 1:06 pm
future of private education in australia
Australia Scholarships Group showing that Adelaide is now the most affordable city for private education. What really made me sit up and take note was the fact that ASG had collected more than 14,000 national responses to compile their survey. Not only has the cost of private education in Australia risen at more than twice the rate of inflation over the past decade but the ASG Education Cost Index forecasts that it will ‘rise by 5.73 per cent each year over the next 20 years.
In addition the future compromises,vision of future get blur in private schools and colleges in Australia.
onlinecentric1
September 23, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Job Opportunity in Australia
There will be great job opportunities in coming year in the field of IT.
MBta
October 20, 2013 at 1:06 pm
low unemployment rate of 5.1%
with a low unemployment rate of 5.1% it paints a pretty healthy picture for our economy. u're right the picture is great so that's why there are too many immigrants, they found there safe and sound! For most of people actually in my country is ok to do a job with lower class if they are abroad! it seems somehow crazy but unfortunately it's real!
mobilepundits
October 28, 2013 at 12:56 pm
A bright future in Australia
In Australia there are many opportunities to make future. One of the best area is app development in Australia. If you have basic knowledge on the basis of this only you can get employment in sydney, melbourne and in its major cities.
Tash
November 30, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Creating entrepreneurs is the future of increase employment
In economic hard times, there will be a strong shortage of jobs for many and so a vast of qualified or even so over qualified and skilled people are unable to demonstrate their great abilities in their expertise area of industry. In which, such abilities cannot be wasted but can be utilized for the betterment of self-creativity and contribution for the country's economic condition. But by looking into creating sme's and businesses through Entrepreneurship Education, of which at end results that are creating jobs to help with the country's economic tyrant to withstand a sustainable outlook…can be a much more foreseeable future. Creating entrepreneurs is the changing agent to increasing employment within the nation and global economic conditions.