UNEMPLOYED – AUSTRALIA

Dole hike strikes the right balance

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 5 : 10-May-23

The federal government’s 2023 budget includes some $4.9bn worth of measures for people who are unemployed. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced that welfare payments such as JobSeeker will rise by $40 a fortnight, which equates to an increase of less than six per cent. In contrast, the government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee had recommended a 40 per cent increase. The government will also reduce the age threshold for older unemployed Australians to qualify for a higher JobSeeker payment from 60 to 55; Chalmers notes that many people aged 55+ struggle to find work, with women in particular being over-represented in this age group.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Jobs galore, but more on JobSeeker

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Geoff Chambers, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-May-23

Data from the Department of Social Services shows that 921,000 people were receiving the JobSeeker and youth allowance payments at the end of March. The number of people receiving these payments has fallen by just 59,000 since Labor took office in May 2022, despite the unemployment rate having fallen to its lowest level in nearly five decades. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has urged the federal government to strengthen the ‘work for the dole’ program, which Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected. He says the 9 May budget will include measures aimed at supporting communities that are facing "entrenched, long-term unemployment".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Australia’s jobless benefits will be among worst in OECD after Covid supplement cut

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Luke Henriques-Gomes
The Guardian – Page: Online : 8-Sep-20

The federal government will reduce the COVID-19 supplement by $300 a fortnight on 25 September. Analysis conducted by Professor Peter Whitford from the Australian National University contends a low-paid worker who has lost their job during the pandemic will receive the third lowest unemployment benefit in the OECD when the supplement is reduced. Whitford uses what is known as the ‘replacement rate’ in his analysis; it compares unemployment and housing benefits with the wage a person was earning in their last job.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Productivity Commission Workplace reform conclusions softened by reliance on inaccurate employment data

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: online : 17-Aug-15

The Productivity Commission Workplace Relations Framework draft report released on August 4, 2015 is an important milestone for Australia and has the right ideas – however, there are also several things missing from the report that must be exposed and discussed. The biggest problem with the report is its reliance on the ‘politically convenient’ ABS unemployment figures that consistently under-state the real level of unemployment and under-employment in the Australian workforce and the inadequate data on the cash economy. There are two issues in relation to unemployment: the actual numbers in % terms and ‘000s of people; and the trends.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Rising unemployment among young Aussies matched by increasing anxiety, depression and stress

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-May-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 9.5 per cent of Australians aged 18-24 were looking for work in 2010. This figure had almost doubled to 18.9 per cent by the end of 2014. Meanwhile, the proportion of 18-24 year-olds who reported experiencing anxiety in an average 12 months has risen from 11.2 per cent to 23 per cent over the last five years, which is the highest incidence of any age group and well above the national average of 16.6 per cent. The survey also shows that proportion of 18-24 year-olds affected by stress has grown from 24 per cent to 33.7 per cent, while the incidence of depression has increased from 11.3 per cent to 19.4 per cent.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED