O75 Public Administration

The Hidden Unemployed must not be ignored at the Jobs & Skills Summit

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Original article by Michele Levine
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Aug-22

The latest Roy Morgan unemployment figures for July show that there are 1.25 million Australians out of work and looking for a job (8.5% of the workforce), and another 1.27 million who want to work more hours (8.6% of the workforce). However, the ABS unemployment figures say that only 3.4% of the workforce is unemployed (474,000). The key reason for the difference of over 770,000 people is the way being unemployed is defined. Roy Morgan asks a person who is not in paid employment if they are looking for paid work. If the answer is yes, Roy Morgan considers that person to be unemployed. The ABS classifies a person as unemployed only if, when surveyed, they have been actively looking for work in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and if they were available for work in the reference week. That means anyone out of work for three weeks is never counted. The ABS also publishes an annual survey on ‘Potential workers’ which much more accurately captures the true level of unemployment in Australia. In late May 2022 the ABS released the latest version of this survey for the month of February. It showed that there were 1.8 million ‘Potential workers’ in Australia and another 900,000 under-employed workers – over 2.7 million Australians either wanting to work or wanting to work more hours. The remarkable aspect of this release is that the figures are so similar to those from Roy Morgan. These extra potential workers should not be forgotten in the deliberations at the federal government’s Jobs & Skills Summit.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up by 1.4pts to 85.6 – highest since early June 2022

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Aug-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 1.4pts to 85.6 in the week ended 17 August. It is now 16pts below the same week a year ago (101.6). In addition, Consumer Confidence is now 5.9pts below the 2022 weekly average of 91.5, but it is now at its highest since early June 2022. On a State-based level Consumer Confidence increased in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia; there was a slight decline in Western Australia, but Consumer Confidence in that State remains higher than any other State. Now 24% (down 1ppt) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 42% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 32% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 30% (down 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Only 9% (up 3ppts) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 34% (down 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 22% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items (the lowest figure for this indicator since the early stages of the pandemic in April 2020), while 46% (down 3ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Speaker rejects Greens push to refer Morrison to privileges committee

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Original article by Sarah Martin, Paul Karp
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 24-Aug-22

Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue has advised the federal government that former prime minister Scott Morrison did not break the law in secretly appointing himself to five ministerial portfolios. However, his report concluded that Morrison had "fundamentally undermined" the principles of responsible government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has flagged an inquiry into Morrison’s actions. Meanwhile, the Greens’ bid to have Morrison referred to parliament’s privileges committee has been rejected by the House of Representatives’ Speaker Milton Dick; he said there was not enough evidence to suggest that Morrison had deliberately misled parliament.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Call to end MUA ports chokehold

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Aug-22

Australian Chamber of ­Commerce & Industry CEO Andrew McKellar will use a National Press Club speech on Wednesday to call for productivity improvements at the nation’s ports. He will argue that Australia’s ports are among the least efficient in the world, and that action must be taken to address the Maritime Union of Australia’s "chokehold". McKellar will also argue that industrial relations reform must be high on the agenda for the upcoming jobs and skills summit, as well as an increase in the permanent migrant intake.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

McGowan flags end to WA’s state of emergency COVID laws

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Original article by Peter Martin
The West Australian – Page: Online : 17-Aug-22

The Western Australian government declared a state of emergency in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Mark McGowan says the government may follow its interstate counterparts and enforce its remaining Covid rules such as mask mandates via legislation rather than its emergency powers. National Party MP Shane Love says it is time for McGowan to admit that the state of emergency is over and surrender these powers. WA reported 2,145 new infections and one death on Tuesday, and the number of active cases statewide has fallen to the lowest level since March. There were 7,145 new case and 24 deaths in NSW, and 4,858 new infections and 20 deaths in Victoria.

CORPORATES
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rebounds, up by 3.9pts to 84.2 – biggest weekly increase this year

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Aug-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 3.9pts to 84.2 in the week ended 10 August. It is now 16.9pts below the same week a year ago (101.1). In addition, Consumer Confidence is now 7.5pts below the 2022 weekly average of 91.7, but it is now at its highest since late June 2022. On a State-based level Consumer Confidence was up in the two largest States of NSW and Victoria, as well as WA, but down in Queensland and SA. Now 25% (up 3ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 41% (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 32% (up 3ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 31% (down 4ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Only 6% (unchanged) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 37% (down 8ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 23% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 49% (up 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Jobs summit to focus on employment for people with disability

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Original article by Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: Online : 17-Aug-22

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth says action is needed to get more people with a disability into the workforce. She argues that such people make significant contributions to the workplace, and hiring them should not be seen as an optional or charitable act. Rishworth will host a disability employment roundtable in Canberra on Monday, ahead of the jobs and skills summit. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that more than more than 220,000 people of working age with a disability are not currently in the labour force but want to work and are looking for a job.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Morrison sorry as PM vows action on secrecy

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 17-Aug-22

Former prime minister Scott Morrison has defended his actions in secretly appointing himself to five cabinet portfolios. He believes that the move had been "prudent and responsible", as it would enable him to take charge of key portfolios if the relevant minister became incapacitated due to COVID-19, rather than placing the portfolio in the hands of a junior minister. Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews – who had not been aware that Morrison had seized her portfolio – has called for him to resign from parliament, although Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he should stay on. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Morrison has undermined the Westminster system of government, and has flagged the possibility of legal reforms to prevent such an abuse of power in the future. He adds that other people will need to be held accountable for the scandal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

RBA deliberately setting up for a recession: ACTU

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Original article by Michael Read, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 10-Aug-22

The ACTU has released a policy paper which argues that full and secure employment should be the top macroeconomic priority for the Jobs and Skills Summit. The report was written by Jim Stanford from the Centre for Future Work; he argues that the Reserve Bank’s "whatever it takes" approach to returning inflation to its target range means it is willing to cause a recession and massive job losses in order to do so. The ACTU wants the summit to consider a fairer and more comprehensive inflation-reducing policy, and greater regulation of labour markets to ensure that real wages growth is in line with productivity.

CORPORATES
ACTU, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED. CENTRE FOR FUTURE WORK, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Unions seek ban on axing EBAs

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 10-Aug-22

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey says the termination of enterprise bargaining agreements is one of the greatest drags on wage growth in Australia. Unions NSW will push for a policy change at Labor’s state conference in October which would ban future Labor governments from terminating workplace agreements during bargaining. Rail unions have accused the state government of repeatedly threatening to terminate Sydney Trains’ enterprise during protracted negotiations over a new pay deal.

CORPORATES
UNIONS NSW, SYDNEY TRAINS