News, media releases, opinions and articles from the Centre for Future Work.

Workers’ slice of Australian economic pie gets smaller

As corporate profits continue to climb, new research from the Centre for Future Work shows the share of Australian GDP paid out to workers is hovering at a post-war low.
Key findings:
From peak levels of 58% of GDP in the mid-1970s, labour compensation declined to just 47% in 2017 — the lowest si…

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Possibly Surprising Insights on the Future of Work

His presentation was “5 Possibly Surprising Insights on the Future of Work”. More detail on the issues raised in his presentation is provided in the Centre’s recent submission to the Senate Inquiry on the Future of Work and the Future of Workers. The Future of Work Is What We Make It Business representatives sit down…

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Centre for Future Work at #ACTUCongress18

Come and check out our information booth in the exhibitors’ area: meet our staff, learn more about our work, and sign up for updates. Our Director Jim Stanford will be presenting as part of a session on The Future of Work (good title!), Tuesday July 17 at 2:15 pm in conference room P1. And we…

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Penalty rate cuts fail to ignite jobs boom

Reduced Sunday and holiday penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers failed to ignite the boom in employment as promised by employer groups who supported the change.
Key findings (one year since penalty rates were first cut, 1 July 2017):
The retail sector performed very badly relative to …

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Manufacturing Rebound Could Be Cut Short By Skills Shortage

After years of decline, Australia’s manufacturing industry is finally recovering – adding almost 50,000 jobs in the last year. But that recovery could be cut short by growing shortages of skilled workers, according to a new report on vocational training in manufacturing.
Key factors behind rapid …

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The Dimensions of Insecure Work in Australia

The report, The Dimensions of Insecure Work: A Factbook, reviews eleven statistical indicators of the growth in employment insecurity over the last five years: including part-time work, short hours, underemployment, casual jobs, marginal self-employment, and jobs paid minimum wages under modern awards. All these indicators of job stability have declined since 2012, thanks to a combination…

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