Since the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the care economy in Australia has expanded sharply. This paper documents three channels through which this large labour demand shock and structural change has affected the labour market over the past decade. It finds that gender gaps have narrowed in both employment and pay, especially benefiting...

A report on Australia’s standard of living has found that low real wages, underfunded public services and soaring prices have left many families experiencing hardship and hopelessness. The report documents the origins of the current crisis in living standards and presents a multidimensional progressive policy agenda for the Australian Government.

The first in a three-part series on new perspectives on gender economic inequality, revealing how much gender shapes jobs, work and pay across Australia. The report highlights the scale of occupational segregation. It finds that despite more women participating in the workforce than ever before, men still earn more than women in 98% of occupations.

Teachers’ salaries consistently represent the largest spending item in public primary and secondary educational institutions across OECD countries and are often the subject of debate. This policy brief outlines spending patterns across OECD countries, highlighting the complexity of implementing broad salary reforms. It finds that even modest salary increases for teachers can have a significant...

Use of restraint of trade contract clauses is of growing interest in Australia. This includes non-compete clauses (NCCs). Of particular interest are the effects of NCCs on productivity and wages, and options for reform. This paper sets out the context, the arguments against NCCs, how other countries have regulated NCCs and the Australian Government's approach.