The last inflation reading before the FWC's annual wage review decision has delivered a mixed result, with the Consumer Price Index down significantly compared to last month, but a key measure of underlying inflation up slightly.
Growth in private sector rates of pay excluding bonuses has eased to 3.2% a year in trend terms, well below the 4.6% rise in consumer prices fuelled by the Middle East war, according to new ABS data.
Casual employment has resumed a long-term decline, while the incidence of working from home has stabilised at just over a third of the workforce, according to newly-released ABS data.
The gender pay gap has narrowed by 0.7 percentage points to 21.1% over the past 12 months, driven by a larger increase in women's average base salary (up $3,419 or 4%) than achieved by men ($2,895 or 2.8%), the annual WGEA Gender Equality Scorecard reveals.
Rates of pay excluding bonuses have ticked up in both the private and public sectors and are continuing to outpace inflation, according to new ABS data.
More women are being appointed to managerial roles but their high resignation rates are undermining gender equality gains, while occupational segregation remains a key driver of inequality, according to a new WGEA report.
Later-in-life events rather than child-rearing alone contribute to women retiring with lower super balances, and the government needs to take "urgent action" to prevent women from continuing to fall behind, a new report finds.
The proportion of employees working from home in 2023 has hardly eased since the COVID-19 lockdown, with 35% of workers doing some WFH and 15% performing most of their hours away from the office, according to the latest HILDA report.
The SDA is calling for stronger regulation of the retail sector to protect workers from psychosocial hazards linked to excessive workloads, understaffing, and customer abuse, with safety rails around the use of AI.
