This McKinnon Poll investigated Australian’s attitudes towards the evolving nature of work, factors that motivate labour mobility and barriers to working, and the future of work in Australia.

Research objectives:

This poll explores public perceptions of employment and the labour market in Australia, considering issues such as:

• Employee satisfaction
• Labour mobility
• The importance of various aspects of work
• The future of work in Australia.

Key findings:

• Among those working or looking for work, higher pay is the most important job consideration (32%), ahead of job security (21%), and flexibility (17%).
• Among those working, looking, or planning to look for work in the future, 10% are currently working in the gig economy and a further 40% are interested in undertaking work in the gig economy.
• Overall, a majority (57%) of workers are content to work the hours they do now, with a slight preference for fewer hours (24%) than more hours (18%) among the balance.
• Six in ten Australians currently working intend to look for a new job in the future, most within the next 2 years.
• Australian workers are more positive than negative about the nature of work in the future. They believe technological advances, such as automation, robotics, AI and the like will have the most positive impact on their job and industry (30% positive impact, 42% neutral or no impact).