Leading online jobs marketplace SEEK has told a Senate inquiry into the future of work that Australians face a "significant shock" as technological forces continue to drive wages down, while the Productivity Commission has warned that digital disruption might ultimately require the introduction of a universal basic income.
Labour productivity grew at a higher average annual rate in the five years to 2015-16 than it did over the past 15 and 30 years, according to new Treasury analysis, but a leading labour market economist has criticised the "arbitrary and misleading" window chosen for the study.
The Fair Work Commission today conceded that inflated concerns about the impact of minimum wage increases on employment may have led to it being "overly cautious" in past rulings.
RBA Governor Philip Lowe today used a House committee public hearing to restate his view that Australia's recent record of negligable wage growth may be nearing an end, suggesting that an improving local outlook amid a rebounding global economy would see increased pressure on employers to share the proceeds.
Responsibility for gender equity strategies should be partially devolved from centralised HR departments to line managers, and training to combat "unconscious bias" in selection processes should be mandated for supervisors and managers, according to a new report on barriers to women's career advancement in higher education.
In its annual review of the IR landscape, a major employment law firm concedes that while the Turnbull Government's workplace reform agenda may not be fully enacted in this parliamentary term, plans to crack down on worker exploitation have a good prospect of success.
The Productivity Commission has canvassed the "radical" option of providing a "universal basic income" to redistribute wealth as a response to digital disruption of the economy.
IR barristers appointed to Federal Circuit Court; FWC member retires after almost 15 years; Wage rises lower in industries hit by resources downturn, says RBA; New FAAA leadership seeking to secure role in new Qantas aircraft; Agreement delivers wage justice for nurses, says Victorian Government; and Supermarket self-service hindering employment growth, says report.
At the National Reform Summit in Canberra today, the ACTU will urge the Turnbull Government to adopt measures to boost multifactor and capital productivity, arguing that labour productivity has been growing and "is not the problem".
