The Award Safety Net of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The industrial relations changes of the 1990s have altered the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in prescribing and influencing the terms of employment. Its awards are now characterised as a ?safety net? and have, to a significant extent, been displaced by registered agreements as the legal instruments binding employers and employees. The project focuses on the remaining role of the safety net. Wh ....The Award Safety Net of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The industrial relations changes of the 1990s have altered the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in prescribing and influencing the terms of employment. Its awards are now characterised as a ?safety net? and have, to a significant extent, been displaced by registered agreements as the legal instruments binding employers and employees. The project focuses on the remaining role of the safety net. What are its purposes? What are the criteria by which it is adjusted? What are the effects of the adjustments on actual wages, incomes and employment? How does the safety net relate to social welfare policies?Read moreRead less
Low Skill Workers in Australia. This project will describe and analyse determinants of labour market outcomes for low-skill workers in Australia. The main themes are to examine effects of business cycle influences, training programs, and the experience of retrenchment, on earnings and employment outcomes for low skill labour force participants. With the Australian Bureau of Statistics as an Industry Partner - providing access to data and guidance otherwise unavailable - the project can make a ....Low Skill Workers in Australia. This project will describe and analyse determinants of labour market outcomes for low-skill workers in Australia. The main themes are to examine effects of business cycle influences, training programs, and the experience of retrenchment, on earnings and employment outcomes for low skill labour force participants. With the Australian Bureau of Statistics as an Industry Partner - providing access to data and guidance otherwise unavailable - the project can make a highly original contribution to understanding key determinants of labour market performance of low skill workers. That enhanced understanding will improve knowledge of how to design public policy to assist those workers. Read moreRead less
Youth in Australia: Education and Work. This project examines, in an integrated way, the education decisions, transition from school to work, and the early labour market experience of youth from 1975 to the present time. The recent emphasis on Australia as a Knowledge Nation and a New Economy indicates that study of education decisions is a high priority. Similarly, pathways from school to work and the cumulative disadvantage that many youth experience in the labour market are leading contempo ....Youth in Australia: Education and Work. This project examines, in an integrated way, the education decisions, transition from school to work, and the early labour market experience of youth from 1975 to the present time. The recent emphasis on Australia as a Knowledge Nation and a New Economy indicates that study of education decisions is a high priority. Similarly, pathways from school to work and the cumulative disadvantage that many youth experience in the labour market are leading contemporary economic and social issues. The project is expected to yield insights into the determinants of educational attainment, best pathways and the channels of influence on labour market success and failure that will be policy relevant and publishable in refereed journals.Read moreRead less
Wage Determination and the New Household Economics. By linking wage outcomes and occupational attainment to home time activities and the human capital and other characteristics of partners, this project should help establish the basis for the payoffs to schooling, the gender pay gap and the marriage wage premium in Australia. A focus on the household allocation of time, with a possible emphasis on child care, may emerge as an important consideration in discussion of the gender wage gap, and of ....Wage Determination and the New Household Economics. By linking wage outcomes and occupational attainment to home time activities and the human capital and other characteristics of partners, this project should help establish the basis for the payoffs to schooling, the gender pay gap and the marriage wage premium in Australia. A focus on the household allocation of time, with a possible emphasis on child care, may emerge as an important consideration in discussion of the gender wage gap, and of the glass ceiling effects shown in recent research and in the media to be an important feature of the Australian labour market.Read moreRead less
Examining Overeducation and Undereducation in the Immigrant Labour Market: An International Case Study Approach. Overseas research has shown that wages and job satisfaction are affected by the degree to which workers' skills are matched to the requirements of their jobs. Examination of this issue for Australia within an international case study approach will identify avenues through which the matching function of the labour market can be improved, and hence economic efficiency enhanced. This wil ....Examining Overeducation and Undereducation in the Immigrant Labour Market: An International Case Study Approach. Overseas research has shown that wages and job satisfaction are affected by the degree to which workers' skills are matched to the requirements of their jobs. Examination of this issue for Australia within an international case study approach will identify avenues through which the matching function of the labour market can be improved, and hence economic efficiency enhanced. This will benefit Australia in that it will provide a basis through which worker satisfaction, lifetime outcomes and aggregate output can be enhanced through a more effective use of our skill-base, and hence permit a strengthening of our social and economic fabric. Read moreRead less
Higher Education: Access and Equity. This project will study the determinants of the mix of higher education participants within a comprehensive framework that will provide empirical evidence on the fundamental issues of access and equity in the higher education system. It will examine the consequences of the current funding arrangements for higher education in Australia, and explore potential modifications to these funding arrangements. This project should help strengthen the higher educatio ....Higher Education: Access and Equity. This project will study the determinants of the mix of higher education participants within a comprehensive framework that will provide empirical evidence on the fundamental issues of access and equity in the higher education system. It will examine the consequences of the current funding arrangements for higher education in Australia, and explore potential modifications to these funding arrangements. This project should help strengthen the higher education sector, and so help Australia to compete in an increasingly technology-driven marketplace. The outcomes of the project will include discussion papers, workshops and a number of papers in international, refereed journals, and in this way it will increase, and render more informed, debate on higher education issues in Australia. As the Industry Partner is the Department of Education, Science and Training, the research will be conducted within a dynamic policy setting.Read moreRead less
High-skilled immigrants: Improved methods for enhancing absorption and addressing negative assimilation. This project will help Australia to design better migration and immigrant settlement policies. It will provide policy-makers with information on the economic and social adjustment of high-skilled immigrants in a global economy, and hasten the contribution of these immigrants to the development of Australia's technological capabilities. This, in turn, will increase Australia's production oppor ....High-skilled immigrants: Improved methods for enhancing absorption and addressing negative assimilation. This project will help Australia to design better migration and immigrant settlement policies. It will provide policy-makers with information on the economic and social adjustment of high-skilled immigrants in a global economy, and hasten the contribution of these immigrants to the development of Australia's technological capabilities. This, in turn, will increase Australia's production opportunities. The research will also help ensure that highly trained researchers are available for acquiring the knowledge that is important in a multicultural society such as Australia, and will further enhance our understanding of our region and the world.Read moreRead less
Experimental evaluation of YP4 - Is 'joining up' services for homeless and jobless people a net benefit to society? This project will provide evidence on the social costs and benefits of programs that seek to 'join up' delivery of government services - with specific reference to young homeless jobseekers. This knowledge has direct application in future design of government policies on implementing programmes for government payment recipients with multiple sources of disadvantage. Furthermore, th ....Experimental evaluation of YP4 - Is 'joining up' services for homeless and jobless people a net benefit to society? This project will provide evidence on the social costs and benefits of programs that seek to 'join up' delivery of government services - with specific reference to young homeless jobseekers. This knowledge has direct application in future design of government policies on implementing programmes for government payment recipients with multiple sources of disadvantage. Furthermore, the project will provide a 'case study' demonstration of the capacity for not-for-profit organisations to independently undertake policy reform, and to implement that reform in a way that allows rigorous evaluation of its effects. The project will also extend research expertise in the area of program evaluation, particularly as applied in the Australian context.Read moreRead less
An Investigation of Chronic and Transitory Poverty in Australia in the Twenty-First Century. People in chronic poverty are unlikely to lead 'healthy, productive or fulfilling' lives. Their unrealized productive and creative potential is a loss to society as well as to the individuals themselves. The information about the intensity of chronic and transitory poverty in Australia that is generated by this project will enable government and charitable institutions to better allocate the substantial ....An Investigation of Chronic and Transitory Poverty in Australia in the Twenty-First Century. People in chronic poverty are unlikely to lead 'healthy, productive or fulfilling' lives. Their unrealized productive and creative potential is a loss to society as well as to the individuals themselves. The information about the intensity of chronic and transitory poverty in Australia that is generated by this project will enable government and charitable institutions to better allocate the substantial resources that they invest annually in programs to assist economically disadvantaged people. The project also has a training function: to develop the research capacity of a postgraduate student who will write a thesis on chronic poverty among children. Read moreRead less
Tackling Nurse Shortages in Australia. There is currently a shortage of registered nurses in Australia. To date, however, there has been only limited detailed micro-level analysis of the nursing workforce. In this project, we will use microeconomic and advanced econometric tools to investigate a number of important issues related to nursing and help inform the policy debate. In particular, we will examine trends in workforce participation of nurses, the determinants of nurse labour supply and jo ....Tackling Nurse Shortages in Australia. There is currently a shortage of registered nurses in Australia. To date, however, there has been only limited detailed micro-level analysis of the nursing workforce. In this project, we will use microeconomic and advanced econometric tools to investigate a number of important issues related to nursing and help inform the policy debate. In particular, we will examine trends in workforce participation of nurses, the determinants of nurse labour supply and job turnover and provide a comparative analysis of wages of nurses with other similar occupational groups. Throughout the project, we will provide special attention to designing policies aimed at promoting nurse labour supply in rural areas. Promoting an adequate supply of registered nurses is central to meeting the National Research Priority of 'Promoting and Maintaining Good Health'.Read moreRead less