This staff working paper is part of a stream of Productivity Commission research focused on labour participation issues, which commenced with the Commission's study for CoAG on the Economic Implications of an Ageing Australia (8408).

A report on the appropriateness of current services, provider incentives and government administration of Job Network with respect to assisting disadvantaged job seekers. According to the report current Job Network arrangements do not meet the changing needs of increasingly disadvantaged job seekers and an urgent overhaul is needed if unemployed Australians are to look forward...

Peter Saunders and Kayoko Tsumori argue that introducing a six month time limit on unemployment benefits could dramatically reduce long-term unemployment in Australia. Time limits create a sense of urgency for the unemployed to find work and for Job Network agencies whose task it is to provide assistance and training. This could reduce the incidence...

A. M. Dockery and Beth Webster write that the incidence of very long term unemployment has risen by nearly 1 percent per annum every year since the late 1970s. Their analysis identifies five different clusters of work deprived individuals. Policy suggestions include more targetted assistance for these clusters and enduring job creation programs, combined with...