This paper seeks to shed light on trends in the use of labour hire and contract workers in Australia, as well as the characteristics of these types of workers. The data shows labour hire arrangements have been a feature of the Australian economy for several decades, but they account for a relatively small and stable...

Despite growing recognition of loneliness as a global public health concern, research on its occurrence and precipitants among men across different life stages remains limited and inconclusive. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the prevalence and predictors of loneliness among a large, representative data set of Australian adult men. The results offer...

This working paper studies the complex relationship between technology adoption and infor­mality, leveraging recent cross-country data to analyse the effects of mobile phone subscrip­tions, internet access, automation and e-government on informal employment, vulnerable em­ployment, and the shadow economy's GDP share.

In 2022, the National Science and Technology Council, commissioned Science and Technology Australia to report on barriers to STEM careers. The research was commissioned through the Office of the Chief Scientist. This report outlines the research findings.

The authors of this paper argue that it’s time to stand up for casual employees in Australia and close the loopholes in the nation's workplace laws by implementing an objective definition of casual employee in the Fair Work Act, and by granting the Fair Work Commission with additional powers so they can swiftly and cheaply...