Despite a mainstream shift in the national conversation away from baseless claims of a “wage-price spiral”, some big business proponents and conservative economists appear unwilling to accept the economic evidence of a profit-price spiral.

New research reveals the growth of ‘gig’ employment in the NDIS and care sector is undermining minimum employment conditions for tens of thousands of workers, with thousands of workers likely earning below-award wages, missing out on superannuation and experiencing inferior WHS protections and gender pay equality outcomes.

You can’t sustain household spending while real wages continue to fall, and households are starting to let everyone know

Wages are growing the best they have for 11 years, but real wages are now back at the level they were 14 years ago

Rather than be a budget that will fuel inflation, the budget is actually closer to austerity than stimulation

Commonwealth on Track for Diminutive Deficit or Surplus in 2022-2023 In the lead-up to its 2023-24 budget, the Labor Government finds itself in an awkward position, accepting that the Jobseeker payment is “seriously inadequate” and an impediment to regaining work, yet professing that it lacks the financial capacity to afford a meaningful increase anytime soon.

Wages growth is rising slowly and inflation is falling faster than expected, and yet the RBA decided to hit the economy again with another rate rise.

Inflation is falling steadily but hitting low-income households the most.

A 7% National Minimum Wage rise for low paid workers would help tackle the rising cost of living for those on award wages while having a virtually undetectable impact on economy-wide prices, new research from leading economists at the Centre for Future Work has found. The data comes as the Fair Work Commission deliberates about

The Stage 3 tax cuts were always bad, but with the removal of the low-middle income tax offset, they become a terrible political strategy as well

Millennials are not becoming more conservative as they age – and the rigged housing market is just one reason why

Perhaps as much as a third of the rate rises since April have yet to fully hit the economy

The whole point of public-sector wage caps is to keep all wages down

House prices are falling but housing unaffordability remains high

New research released on International Women’s Day reveals Australian women earn $1.01m less over their working lives than men, based on median income data. Women earn $136,000 less in superannuation over their working lives than men, based on median income data. Women earning the median wage will accumulate approximately $393,676 in super, $151,000 below what

The upsurge of inflation since the COVID-19 lockdowns has not had equal impacts on all Australians. Workers and low-income people have experienced the worst losses: both because their incomes, in most cases, have not kept up with prices, and because they are more dependent on essential goods and services (like shelter, food, and energy) than higher-income households.

New empirical research reveals the main driver for inflation in Australia is excess corporate profits, not wages, and that inflation would have stayed within the RBA target band if corporates had not squeezed consumers through the pandemic via excess price hikes. The dramatic expansion of business profits has gone mostly ignored by the RBA and

Superannuation is too important for retirement to be allowed to be a tax dodge scheme for the wealthy. It is time to review the scheme and stop the abuses

The Carmichael Centre at the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work is proud to announce the appointment of Prof. David Peetz, one of Australia’s most outstanding labour policy experts, as the new Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Research Fellow. Prof. Emeritus Peetz has recently retired from a long career at Griffith University, where he served as Professor

The Reserve Bank now forecasts real household incomes will take longer to recover than they did during the 1990s recession and is also projecting economic growth at historical lows. Australian consumers are right to feel worried about the future.

The signs are already evident that household consumption is falling despite most mortgage holders yet to feel the full effects of the rate rises. The Reserve Bank however believes more pain is needed.

The cost of mortgages is soaring and households are spending less in the shops – the Reserve Bank should hold off on raising rates again next week

Most economists believe inflation has peaked and yet the Reserve Bank is still expected to raise rates next month despite real wages falling by more than 4% last year.

Home loans have fallen sharply in the past year, and the rate rises are clearly having a major impact. As such the Reserve Bank needs to wait before raising them again.

The Stage 3 tax cuts will cost $300bn in their first 9 years. A new tool shows how we can spend the money better

When you reduce the revenue available to fund government services, you inevitably increase inequality

The build up of savings during the pandemic is over – now we need strong income growth to keep the economy going as the Reserve Bank tries to slow it.

For most of this year, the warnings and news about inflation have been one of hope for the best but experience the worst. Predictions of future inflation growth have continually been revised upwards and with it has been the suggestion that interest rates need to keep rising.