This report examines the barriers to closing the gender gap by reviewing Australia’s position within the industrial countries of the OECD. The report also uses data from the ABS and the ATO to highlight gender disparities across all levels of income, ranges of occupation and...

Prior to COVID-19, wages growth in Australia was somewhat lower than was expected based on historical determinants. This paper examines concentration in Australian labour markets and its impacts on wages using a large and representative database derived from administrative tax data.

The focus in current anti-inflation policy on suppressing wage growth, enforcing a permanent reduction in real wages, while ignoring the role of record profits in driving post-pandemic inflation reflects an ahistorical and ideological approach to macroeconomic management, writes Jim Stanford.

This report sheds light on the scale and impact of the Australia's nominal wage increases and their recent decline.

The weakness of wage growth in Australia over the past decade has been extreme by both historic and international standards. The authors of this report argue that the reforms proposed in the 'Secure Jobs, Better Wages' Bill represent important, but incremental steps in restoring a...

This edition of the Gender Equity Insights series looks at Australia’s gender pay gap and finds that it could narrow by a third if a more balanced gender concentration was achieved across all industries and occupations.

This edition of the Treasury Round Up looks at a range of issues that affect productivity in the Australian economy.

This paper reviews the role of specific fiscal spending and transfer programmes in shaping labour market dynamics by disentangling different macroeconomic and microeconomic mechanisms.

The Australian Public Service (APS) remuneration report 2021 presents a summary of remuneration paid to APS employees under the Public Service Act 1999 as at 31 December 2021. The report provides APS agencies with data that informs their remuneration practices.

The distributional consequences of record high profits and record low real wage growth have been widely discussed in Australia recently, but the data presented in this paper suggests that rising profits are now the major driver of inflation.

COVID-19 has shone a light on the critical importance of health and care workers, who were applauded and celebrated. This report provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the gender pay gap in the health and care sector – a sector in which women predominate.

The data outlined in this resource further highlights the importance of workplace policies and practices that enable equal participation of women and men throughout their working lives.

The recent federal election featured important debate regarding the recent acceleration of inflation in Australia, and whether and how wages should be boosted to keep up with higher prices. This briefing paper reviews the detailed findings of an exit poll regarding wages, prices and the...

This report explores how Australian Service Union members working in clerical and administrative roles in the private sector are faring under these conditions. It provides insight into their wages and their satisfaction with their wages, their perceptions around their financial situation and the cost of...

This report examines the escalating cost of living and retention crisis for New South Wales public sector workers.

While significant concerns have been raised about the inflationary impacts of a five percent increase in the minimum wage, in reality, the authors of this paper argue that the direct inflationary impact of a five percent increase in all wages is only 1.27 percent, and...

As a key pathway to addressing poverty, living wages are rich in business benefits. This report argues that the payment of living wages remains one of the most powerful routes to help people out of poverty, realise human rights, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals...

A comprehensive review of Australian wage trends indicates that wage growth is likely to remain stuck at historically weak levels - despite the dramatic disruptions experienced by the Australian labour market through the COVID-19 pandemic. This report finds that targeted policies to deliberately lift wages...

In this paper, the authors estimate the effect of the Australian JobKeeper payment COVID-19 wage subsidy on payroll jobs and wages at the employer-level using novel administrative datasets.

This report examines the role of collective bargaining in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on employment and earnings, helping to cushion inequality, while reinforcing the resilience of enterprises and labour markets. The report considers the contribution of collective bargaining to a human-centred recovery.

This report examines the economic impact of the increased use of labour-hire in key mining communities across Australia.

This report begins by describing trends in wage growth in Australia over the last 14 years. It then identifies the policy positions of the federal government since assuming office in 2013 that have contributed to slow wage growth.

This report examines the pay practices and financial outcomes at some of America's best-known companies in sectors spanning retail, delivery, fast food, hotels and entertainment. Together, the 22 companies employ more than 7 million frontline workers.

Wage theft on a broad scale is a relatively new phenomenon and creates significant problems for Australian labour market regulation. An increasing evidence base, and a plethora of media investigations, suggest that non-compliance with Australia's minimum employment laws has become pervasive, as well as 'endemic'...

The Morrison Government has tabled its budget for the 2022-23 financial year. In this briefing paper, the Centre for Future Work's team of economists unpacks the budget, considers its effects and suggests alternatives.