Research Papers

Research Papers from the Centre for Future Work.

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In it for the long haul: the role of rail freight in an era of energy uncertainty

Rail freight offers Australia an underused opportunity to cut fuel costs, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce vulnerability to global energy

Budget briefing paper 2026–2027

We examine the Budget in detail, from the perspective of workers and labour markets.

Restoring public sector capability through investment in public service employees

This briefing paper examines the make-up of the APS and considers recent efforts to improve APS service delivery.

RBA review a missed opportunity

The Commonwealth Treasury has released the report of a three-person panel charged with reviewing the structure, governance, and effectiveness of

Minimum wages and inflation

New research from the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute has revealed how rises in the minimum wage

Profits and inflation in mining and non-mining sectors

New research from the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute has shed further light on the role of

International COVID-19 income supports: an update

The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted global labour markets, and exposed long-standing gaps in social protection systems. Governments around the industrialised

Women’s casual job surge widens gender pay gap

New research shows Australia’s recovery from the pandemic recession has widened the gender pay gap.

Working from home: opportunities and risks

With many regular workplaces shut down to ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19, millions of Australians are now shifting their work

The long-term consequences of wage freezes for real wages, lifetime earnings, and superannuation

New research from the Centre for Future Work has dramatised the lasting consequences for workers’ lifetime incomes – even after they

Needle in a haystack: searching for the impact of tax cuts on consumer spending and economic growth

The latest economic statistics have confirmed that Australia’s economy is barely limping along – with quarterly GDP growth of just