The Regional Jobs Hubs network brings local employers and jobseekers together to create employment pathways and training and job outcomes for Tasmanians in their local communities. This paper provides an overview of the initiative. It finds that the network has had a real impact and provides a working example of a place-based network operating at...

The proportion of Australia’s population aged 15 to 64 receiving income support payments reached record lows in 2023 and 2024. This was driven by a strong labour market and pre-COVID-19 policy changes. This paper outlines the Australian context for working-age welfare recipients, the impact of COVID-19 policies, and trends in students and people with disability...

One of the key labour market indicators that the Reserve Bank of Australia monitors and forecasts is the unemployment rate. This paper finds that information contained in measures of unmet demand, such as job advertisements and vacancies, and consumers’ expectations for unemployment, are useful in informing the RBA’s near-term forecasts for the unemployment rate.

As the Albanese Labor Government nears the end of its first term in office, this brief provides a broad assessment of its employment record and where applicable, compares it with historical government performance. The brief finds that the Government has overseen the most sustained period of low unemployment in recent Australian history.

The JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement was designed to support households that experienced job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper found that these higher benefit payments lead to a change in labour market behaviour, reducing the incentive for people to work. It provides three lessons from the research.