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.
Private sector enterprise agreements approved in the September quarter paid an average wage rise of 3.4% a year, after construction deals providing substantial annual increases helped to lifted bargained wage deals out of the doldrums, new Department of Employment data reveals.
A reduction in size and frequency of pay rises explains the recent historically-low growth in wage rates, according to new RBA research conducted in collaboration with the ABS.
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.
Pay rises in private-sector enterprise deals have climbed back above 3%, coinciding with a big reduction in agreement-making in retail and hospitality, according to the Department of Employment.
A university study of international students' employment conditions in food services shows they are receiving as little as $8 an hour and a median of $17, well below the award rate of about $21.
AMWU urges full bench to reject bid to re-open casual service case; FWC dismisses claim by "bullied" manager who didn’t appear; Wages might be on the rise, says RBA; and Training obligations should continue for 457 visa sponsors.
An FWO inquiry into housekeeping services reveals that exploitation of vulnerable, overseas workers is rife within the industry, as one of Australia's largest hotel and resort operators agrees to enter into enforceable undertakings with the watchdog in a bid to avoid proceedings over an independent contracting model it established that robbed workers of their correct wages and conditions.
