Employee protection
Alternative labels
Employee rights
Briefing paper
A "transition" to nowhere: on the impossibility of avoiding the social costs of reduced penalty rates
Government and business leaders have proposed a range of possible “transition” mechanisms to ease the economic hardship, and defuse political anger, following the Fair Work Commission’s decision to cut penalty rates for work on Sundays and public holidays in the retail and hospitality industries. This briefing note critically reviews several of these proposals.
Report
Labour exploitation in the Australian construction industry: risks and protections for temporary migrant workers
There have been a number of alleged cases of labour exploitation involving temporary migrant workers in Australia since the late 1990s. The Australian construction industry was identified as particularly problematic, with allegations of deception in relation to work contracts, lack of compliance with employment standards, limited autonomy and threats of abuse levelled.
Report
Toward a new capitalism: the promise of opportunity and the future of work
The purpose of the Aspen Institute Initiative on the Future of Work is to propose a new course – a way to upgrade America’s economic reward structure to keep pace with the shifting realities of the 21st century. As we did in the last century, we must come together to forge a new economic model...
Report
Work benefits: ensuring economic security in the 21st century
This report outlines a set of principles to guide the ongoing debate about how to expand economic security for the many who cannot currently rely on a job-based system of benefits.
Working paper
The rise of alternative work arrangements: evidence and implications for tax filing and benefit coverage
A growing number of American workers earn income outside of traditional employee-employer relationships through self-employment and business ownership. This paper draws on administrative tax records to provide a more complete picture of the self-employed, including how they differ from employees (which we define as workers receiving wages reported on Form W2) and how their numbers...