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In this paper, we investigate the behaviour of the Australian slate labour markets, focusing on the rote of geographic labour mobility. We find that interstate migration does play an important role in reducing differences in labour market conditions between states, although permanent (or very persistent) differences between state unemployment rates remain. We also find that out-migration from a state resulting front a relative downturn in its labour market occurs slowly and steadily. Most of the migration takes place, on average, within four years, and the process of adjustment is complete tier seven years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human capital model is the basis of neoclassical analysis of labour markets, education and economic growth. However, education policy in Australia has been influenced by models based on screening theory and public choice theory which yield the policy implication that reductions in education spending are generally desirable. In this paper, the competing models, and the evidence supporting them, are surveyed. It is concluded that the human capital model is strongly supported by the available evidence. The predictions of screening models are generally not supported by empirical tests, except where they coincide with those of the human capital model. The main evidence supporting the public choice model, derived from the literature on educational production functions, is shown to be deficient. The principal policy conclusion of the paper is that the negative effects of recent cuts in education spending will outweigh any benefits achieved through reductions in public debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses data from the University of Western Australia (UWA) Graduate Destination Survey linked to information from the University's Student Records System to explore the determinants of graduates' starting salaries over the years 2002 to 2004. While the details examined also include age, gender, language spoken at home, country of birth, disability status and high school attended, most emphasis is placed on the impact on starting salaries of students' academic performance and their field of study. The analyses show that the main determinant of graduates' starting salaries is the weighted average mark they achieve at university. The salary differentials associated with higher marks in the Australian labour market appear greater than those reported in similar studies of the US and the UK labour markets. Science graduates are shown to have relatively low starting salaries, casting a shadow over recent suggestions that the supply of this group be increased through lower fee regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the determinants of Australian university graduates' starting salaries, with an emphasis on the institution attended and field of study. It is shown that there is little difference between the starting salaries of students who attended Group of Eight universities and those who attended other universities. There are modest differences in starting salaries across fields of study. However, these differences are considerably less than those associated with the type of employment obtained. These results suggest it is what you do in the labour market, rather than where or what you have studied, that is the main determinant of labour market outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to provide an update on progress with the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, including the changing nature of the survey content, the evolution of the sample, the many uses that have already been made of the data by researchers, and possible enhancements to the survey. The HILDA Survey is a broad social and economic survey, with a particular focus on family and household formation, income and work. Since the HILDA Survey has a longitudinal design, most questions are repeated each year, thus constraining the ability to vary content. Nevertheless, within each survey wave, scope exists for asking questions on topics that will not be covered every year. The HILDA Survey began with a large national probability sample of Australian households occupying private dwellings. All members of households providing at least one interview form the basis of the panel to be pursued in each subsequent wave. Given the desire that the HILDA sample should retain contemporary cross-sectional representativeness, there is clearly a need for the sample to be extended at some future date to include immigrant arrivals. The HILDA team will thus be developing and testing different approaches to this sampling problem with a view to having in place a workable plan for implementation by wave 9.

Industry Commission inquiries into the passenger motor vehicle and textiles clothing and footwear (TCF) industries have focused attention on the employment prospects of workers who are displaced as a result of structural change. The fact that older and less skilled workers face considerable difficulty finding new employment is now widely recognised. In this paper we examine the post-retrenchment outcomes for workers retrenched from jobs in the TCF sector. The method of analysis-discrete-time event history analysis-improves on previous studies of post-retrenchment outcomes because labour market conditions are incorporated into the statistical model, redressing the over-emphasis on supply-side is- sues that characterise previous research. The analysis shows that local and national labour market conditions are important determinants of employment outcomes. Personal characteristics, household circumstances and ascribed skill are also important as employers use these attributes to filter potential recruits. The analysis suggests that the utility of retraining is variable, enhancing the employability of workers with the best prospects (based on their personal characteristics and skills) before taking up retraining but decreasing the employment chances of those with poorer prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the ABS survey of employment and unemployment patterns in Australia. Most collections of labor market data in Australia are cross-sectional in nature. They provide a snapshot of the labor market at one point in time. These cross-sectional data sets usually contain quite detailed data on which individuals are employed at a given instance in time, which individuals are unemployed and which individuals are not participating in the labor market. The availability in the survey of a wide range of demographic, educational and labor market information on the respondents has facilitated much labor market research. As there have been relatively few studies of the Australian labor market based on longitudinal data, the research projects now under way have the potential to make major contributions to many policy issues. If this potential is realized, then the way in which longitudinal data can enhance our understanding of labor market processes will have been demonstrated.

We review a body of literature that addresses the incomes of visual artists and their participation in the labour market. It is clear that the level and composition of visual artists' incomes varies widely, as does their engagement in different forms of employment. The lack of a consistent definition of an artist and a lack of consistency in income sources included in current data collection presents challenges for researchers. The focus of our research is on the economic status of visual artists in Australia, and we identify a number of considerations that might inform policy responses to their financial position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the benefits and costs of Australia's labour migration policies. While previous economics studies have demonstrated the efficiency‐related benefits of these policies, this article analyses the consequences for worker voice and equity, which employment relations scholars have identified as important labour market policy goals. We argue that the efficiency‐related benefits of labour migration policy reforms, particularly the expansion of temporary visa schemes, have been generated in part by barriers to temporary migrant workers' access to representation and social rights. This situation has contributed to an increase in the underpayment and mistreatment of temporary migrant workers by employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the labour market for Uber drivers, the first detailed study of a gig economy market in Australia. Uber drivers' characteristics, reasons for driving with Uber, hours of work and driving schedules, earnings and job satisfaction are analysed, using both administrative and survey data. Uber drivers have diverse pathways to the job, with the objective to earn supplemental income most important in Australia. Total hours and timing of work differ substantially between drivers. Drivers express high satisfaction regarding job flexibility but lower satisfaction about pay. Hours worked and job satisfaction depend importantly on a driver's pathway to the job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The downturn in Australia's labour market from 2008–2018 was reflected in dimensions other than unemployment. We use the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data set to explore one key dimension—occupational choice. Using an occupational ranking (AUSEI06) based on earning potential and education level, we show young graduates (aged 20–35) found work in lower‐scored occupations after 2010. We examine potential heterogeneity of the occupational outcomes using Markov transitions between quartiles of the occupational distribution. We find the likelihood of transitioning to better quartiles worsened over the 2001–2018 period, suggesting poor initial outcomes can have long‐term effects on one's occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is foundational to economic growth. Despite this, the Australian empirical literature is limited. Therefore we examine the empirical determinants of Australia's inflow of FDI to understand the factors that motivate FDI. Using autoregressive distributed lag models, the study also highlights how these determinants change across time. While inward FDI can be explained by various theories it is most effectively understood by Dunning's Ownership, Locational and Internalisation framework. Therefore, the factors most important in Australia to attracting FDI are monetary policy, productivity, a competitive tax structure, labour market flexibility and costs of trade and investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on state and territory employment and unemployment patterns in Australia. It mentions that recognizing the national indicators of macroeconomic performance might conceal the differences in local level which can cause regional economic disparities. Furthermore, it also discusses the available researches which are related to the behaviour of unemployment such as convergence of labour market indicators and the trends and cycles of unemployment.

This article considers long-standing grievances in teachers' labor markets regarding chronic shortages of qualified mathematics and science teachers and the loss of the best youth instructors from the teaching service in Australia. It is hard to refute assertions that there is and have been continual shortages in teachers for secondary school mathematics and science, and for all teachers in particular localized regions within Australia despite the evidence being somewhat ad hoc. Furthermore, there is informal evidence that the personal and more subjective professional qualities of individual teachers matter for pupil outcomes and therefore positive social gains can be made if these individuals are identified and kept in schools as instructors. Similar to other occupations, many factors that motivate graduates to enter the teaching profession and remain there are intrinsic in nature and not immediately amenable to manipulation by public policy. However, on both a priori and evidential grounds, it is argued that selectively enhancing the pay and conditions for teachers in scarce supply should increase supply and enhance the quality of teaching services to young people at school. To estimate which type of policy is most cost-effective from a government budget point of view requires a longitudinal survey of actual and potential teachers. Given the size of national education budgets this is likely to be a financially prudent undertaking. However, whichever policy is pursued, two enabling factors are required. First, school budgets should be increased to allow salary premiums to be paid and, second, teachers within schools should recognize and accept that in the interests of better educational services for young people, wage differentials between teachers need to change.

A matching function approach is used to investigate the macroeconomic effects of labor market program (LMP) commencements on unemployment outflows in Australia using unpublished data that classify commencements and outflows by duration of unemployment The results indicate that LMPs have had significant effects on outflows from long-term unemployment However, the net impact of programs on these outflows suggests that the substitution and displacement effects associated with programs are high. These results are consistent with recent microeconomic research into the effects of LMP participation on individual transitions out of unemployment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate in Australia about youth wages and youth employment has been underway for a decade. It has generated much heat because no one in their right mind wants to do anything that would harm young people. Many critical aspects of the current situation need illumination, however, for a sensible reform path for youth wages to be found. On close inspection, the case for fundamental reform of youth minimum wage provisions is compelling. Virtually all nations have minimum wage laws. What distinguishes Australia is the system for setting minimum wages. Whereas other countries legislate minimum wage laws directly through parliament, in Australia these are set by independent industrial tribunals.

Junior rates involve a system of minimum wages, defined as a proportion of the adult minimum wage, with this proportion increasing with age until the junior worker is considered an adult at age 21. This system is perceived to be discriminatory, and it is this perception that has led to extensive debate as to the potential replacement of junior rates with an alternative system of minimum wage determination. The debate with regard to junior rates is of particular interest from a labour economics perspective as it brings together two very topical areas of ongoing research, that pertaining to minimum wages, and that to the youth labour market.

Higher education systems need policies for distributing student places between higher education providers, courses and students. In supply‐driven systems, government and university decisions dominate. In demand‐driven systems, student choices play a larger role. Over the last 35 years Australia has moved from a supply‐driven to a largely demand‐driven university system and then partly back again. When students pay their own costs, both major political parties have supported market distribution of student places for decades. But for subsidised student places there is policy instability, due to fluctuating priorities for containing public expenditure and responding to demographic and labour market changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on Will Foster's paper titled "Gross Flows in the Australian Labor Market," published in the April 1981 issue of the journal "Australian Economic Review." In his paper, Foster discusses two extreme views of the labor market. He says that the labor market could be viewed essentially as a medium for transferring the employed from one job to the next or into unemployment, and for transferring the unemployed sooner or later back into employment. This hypothesis could be called hypothesis 1. Hypothesis 2 is stated that the labor market could be seen more as a means of moving people into the labor force to either employment or unemployment, in which state they would tend to remain until leaving the labor force again. Foster sensibly points out that in practice the Australian labor market probably operates at an intermediate position between these two extremes. He goes on to suggest that the recently available gross flows data can be used to address the issue of the relative importance of flows within and across labor force boundaries.

This article assesses the effect of computer-based technologies on employment in Australia. We find that: (i) the total amount of work available has not decreased following the introduction of computer-based technologies; and (ii) the pace of structural change and job turnover in the labour market has not accelerated with the increasing application of computer-based technologies. A review of recent studies that claim computer-based technologies may be about to cause widespread job destruction establishes several major flaws with these predictions. Our suggested explanation for why techno-phobia has such a grip on popular imagination is a human bias to believe that 'we live in special times'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]