Author: roymorgansocial

Real unemployment & under-employment above 2.3 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Nov-19

The latest data for the Roy Morgan employment series shows that 12,714,000 Australians were employed in October 2019, up 520,000 over the past year. The rise in employment was driven by a significant increase in full-time employment of 695,000 over the last year (to 8,582,000); however, part-time employment has declined by 175,000 over the past year (to 4,132,000). The figures also show that 1,075,000 Australians (7.8% of the workforce) were unemployed in October, down 190,000 on a year ago, and the unemployment rate was down 1.6%. An additional 1,232,000 Australians (8.9% of the workforce) were under-employed, working part-time and looking for more work, a decrease of 10,000 in a year (down 0.3%). In total, 2,307,000 Australians (16.7% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in October, down 200,000 on a year ago. Roy Morgan’s real unemployment figure of 7.8% is higher than the current ABS estimate for September 2019 of 5.2%, although the gap between the two measures is the closest it has been since September 2015. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the best way to reduce the high level of labour under-utilisation, now stuck at over 2 million for over four years, is to provide a healthy and strong economy that encourages businesses to invest in growing their human capital by hiring new workers.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Autopilot anger over BHP’s robots

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Original article by Matthew Stevens
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 14-Nov-19

Politicians and union leaders responded with somewhat predictable outrage to BHP’s plans to fully automate the fleet of haulage trucks at its Goonyella coal mine in Queensland. However, the move to driverless trucks should not have been a surprise, given that BHP has been actively deploying the technology at its Pilbara iron ore mines in recent years. The BHP Mitsubishi Alliance has also consulted with Goonyella’s workforce and the local community with regard to the automation strategy, while it has committed to creating additional jobs as well as retaining all current employees.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, BM ALLIANCE COAL OPERATIONS PTY LTD, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

Tax breaks to fast-track big projects

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 14-Nov-19

The federal government will provide a concessional tax rate of 15 per cent for foreign investments in qualifying infrastructure projects that are worth more than $500m. This will include ­energy, transport, water and communications projects. Meanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will use the Sir John Downer Oration in Adelaide on 14 November to urge greater co-operation between the federal and state governments to address inefficiencies in the economy. He will also stress the need for responsible fiscal management.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Sydney, Melbourne prices take off in 2020

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Original article by Nila Sweeney
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 & 39 : 14-Nov-19

SQM Research MD Louis Christopher expects growth in housing prices in Australia’s capital cities to average 11 per cent in 2020. The latest edition of Christopher’s Housing Boom and Bust Report forecasts that dwelling prices in Melbourne will rise by up to 15 per cent, while Sydney’s housing market will record growth of 10-14 per cent. However, the Darwin market is expected to buck the trend, with a two per cent downturn in 2020. Christopher says the housing market rebound is unlikely to be sustained over the longer term.

CORPORATES
SQM RESEARCH PTY LTD, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

Union integrity bill in doubt as senators waver

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Nov-19

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter is confident that the federal government can reach a "sensible compromise" with Senate crossbenchers regarding the Ensuring Integrity Bill. The government had hoped to put the bill to a vote on 13 November, but independent senator Jacqui Lambie has reservations about the proposed demerit points system for unions. She is concerned that the bill would make it harder to deregister "union thugs" than officials who make minor administrative errors. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also has concerns about the proposed system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Australia’s top 10 most trusted brands in 2019

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Original article by Isabelle Lane
The New Daily – Page: Online : 13-Nov-19

Five of the 10 most-trusted brands in Australia, as measured by Roy Morgan, have been embroiled in wage underpayment scandals in recent years. They include the nation’s most trusted brand, Bunnings, as well as Woolworths, Coles, Qantas and the ABC. RMIT University’s Professor Anthony Forsyth rejects suggestions that the wage theft scandals can be attributed to Australia’s complex industrial awards system; instead, he contends that businesses are simply not giving sufficient priority to ensuring that their employees are being paid properly.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, RMIT UNIVERSITY

Disney bets billions on content for streaming battle with Netflix

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 13-Nov-19

The Disney+ subscription video-on-demand service will be launched in Australia on 19 November, following its US debut. Walt Disney Company has revealed plans to invest $US1bn in original content for the new streaming service in 2019, which will increase to $US2.5bn ($3.65bn) by 2024. The media giant forecasts that Disney+ will boast between 60 million and 90 million paid subscribers by fiscal 2024. Netflix is investing some $US15bn on original content during 2019.

CORPORATES
WALT DISNEY COMPANY, DISNEY+, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED

Bunnings, ALDI and Woolworths on top in Net Trust Scores

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Nov-19

The latest research from the Roy Morgan Risk Monitor shows that Retail, Supermarkets and Consumer Products are Australia’s most trusted industries: those with the highest Net Trust Score. At the other end of the scale industries in the unenviable position of scoring highest for distrust, with a negative NTS, include Mining & Petroleum, Telecommunications and Utilities. Hardware retailer Bunnings is the nation’s most trusted brand, edging out supermarket rivals ALDI and Woolworths for top spot. Coles and discount department store retailer Kmart also ranked in the top 10, with high Net Trust Scores. Rounding out the top 10 are insurer NRMA, the ABC, Qantas and Toyota, with Bendigo & Adelaide Bank out-performing larger rivals to claim the title of Australia’s most trusted bank and 10th most trusted brand overall, in surveys completed in June 2019. These insights are drawn from the ongoing Roy Morgan Risk Monitor, based on over 1,000 interviews each month.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NRMA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN

The million-hectare fire

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Original article by Ean Higgins, Emily Ritchie
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Nov-19

New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned that the state’s bushfire situation remains critical, after the ‘catastrophic’ fire danger alert on 12 November. More than 130 fires are still burning across NSW and Queensland, with a number of homes having been damaged or destroyed, while the fires have burnt more than a million hectares of land. Fitzsimmons says the fire risk will remain high during the coming summer due to factors such as the drought and high temperatures.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES RURAL FIRE SERVICE

Nine feels squeeze of ad market

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 17 & 24 : 13-Nov-19

Nine Entertainment Company has downgraded its underlying earnings growth forecast for 2019-20 due to challenging conditions in the advertising market. CEO Hugh Marks has told the group’s AGM that there was a 6.4 per cent decline in the metropolitan free-to-air TV advertising market in the first quarter, and the outlook has not improved in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Nine chairman Peter Costello has called for digital platforms to be subject to the same regulations as traditional media companies.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, 2GB, RADIO 4BC BRISBANE PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, WALT DISNEY COMPANY