Category Archives: Labour market

ABC radio interview on unemployment, the 4% target and the four pillars plan

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was interviewed this morning by Steve Austin on 612 ABC Brisbane regarding yesterday’s unemployment figures, particularly what they mean for the Government’s four pillars plan and its 4% unemployment rate target: Jump in employment questioned I reiterated the point … Continue reading →

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4% unemployment rate target looking much less achievable now

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Gene Tunny

With Queensland’s unemployment rate at 6.7%, compared with 5.8% one year ago, debate has resumed over the Government’s pledge to reduce unemployment to 4% within two terms (see the Courier-Mail’s coverage). I’ve previously commented that, when the promise was made, … Continue reading →

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Long-term trend in average working hours – big drop over last 100 years

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A comment from a reader on my Friday post on robotics and automation got me thinking about long-term trends in average working hours. Historical data on standard male working hours (from Glenn Withers’s chapter in Vamplew’s Australians: Historical Statistics), which … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Economic implications of robotics and automation

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Gene Tunny

There is increasingly serious discussion about the implications of major advances in robotics and automation and what these advances mean for the future economy, particularly whether robots will replace humans in many jobs. For example, the OECD has observed that … Continue reading →

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Speech to University of the Third Age Redlands on the Australian Economy

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Gene Tunny

This morning I addressed the University of the Third Age Redlands at the Donald Simpson Centre, Cleveland on the topic of The Australian Economy: Where we’ve come from, where we’re going. My prepared remarks are reproduced below. I varied the … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy, IR, Labour market, Macroeconomy, Migration, Mining, Population, Tax, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Unemployment rate is partly a policy choice – cut regulation to create jobs

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Upon the retirement of Treasury Secretary Ted Evans in 2001, then Prime Minister John Howard noted: Ted…has been a leading contributor to public debate, particularly issues of structural reform, such as the functioning of the labour market. He highlighted the … Continue reading →

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Unemployment keeps rising as sub-trend growth continues

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Gene Tunny

According to ABS labour force data just released, Queensland’s unemployment rate is now 6.8% seasonally adjusted and 6.5% in trend terms (see chart below). In part, this must be related to the mining slowdown and the sub-trend economic growth we’ve … Continue reading →

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Good employment outlook for Qld, but still waiting for strong economic recovery

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Steve Austin had a good chat with Nick Behrens from CCIQ yesterday morning on 612 ABC Brisbane, covering the economic outlook for Queensland and the Queensland Plan (What the job market in Queensland will look like in the future). Nick … Continue reading →

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Lacklustre labour market gives added urgency to regulatory reforms

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Job vacancies data released by the ABS yesterday suggest the Queensland labour market will remain relatively weak over the next few months at least (see chart above). The data are also consistent with Queensland Treasury’s forecast in the Budget that … Continue reading →

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Minimum wage reduces retail jobs available for young people

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Walking around the newly renovated Indooroopilly Shoppingtown in Brisbane’s western suburbs recently, I was struck by how many high-end clothing and jewellery stores there now are in the centre. Partly this would be because high-end shops would be more likely … Continue reading →

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