Understanding and preventing workforce vulnerabilities in midlife and beyond. This project brings together frontline service agencies with researchers from two universities to study involuntary non-participation and under-participation in the labour market by midlife Australians. Quantitative and qualitative approaches will be used to understand pathways and outcomes so as to inform policy and practice responses.
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
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
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
A benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program. This project undertakes a benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program (EYEP). EYEP is an innovative early years education and childcare program for children at risk of abuse and neglect that is being trialled by the Children’s Protection Society in Melbourne. The use of the randomised evaluation method in the trial, the innovative and extensive nature of EYEP, the inter-disciplinary research team, and the breadth of dat ....A benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program. This project undertakes a benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program (EYEP). EYEP is an innovative early years education and childcare program for children at risk of abuse and neglect that is being trialled by the Children’s Protection Society in Melbourne. The use of the randomised evaluation method in the trial, the innovative and extensive nature of EYEP, the inter-disciplinary research team, and the breadth of data collection, provide the opportunity to complete a high quality benefit-cost analysis that will be internationally unique. Results from the study have the potential to influence the design of childcare and education for 30,000 at-risk children in Australia, as well as informing approaches in regular childcare.Read moreRead less
A Review of Work for the Dole as a Labour Market Program. The project will review the Work for the Dole program in terms of its first formal objective (to install work habits in young people)and in the wider context of giving young unemployed people the skills and confidence that will increase their chances of finding employment. The principal research tools used will be sample surveys and in-depth interviews. An independent substantial review will give a firm basis for discussions of the progr ....A Review of Work for the Dole as a Labour Market Program. The project will review the Work for the Dole program in terms of its first formal objective (to install work habits in young people)and in the wider context of giving young unemployed people the skills and confidence that will increase their chances of finding employment. The principal research tools used will be sample surveys and in-depth interviews. An independent substantial review will give a firm basis for discussions of the program, including how it can be improved and whether or not, given the political imperatives to retain it,it is desirable to increase expenditure on it.Read moreRead less
Economic Modelling of the Nurses' Labour Market in Australia. Nurses play an important role in the health system and help to ensure individuals lead healthier, happier and more productive lives. Devising cost-effective policies to ensure an adequate supply of motivated and productive nurses is crucial in achieving efficiency and equity in the health care system. The results will be used by government to help set optimal pay and conditions for nurses, and to ensure that these are competitive with ....Economic Modelling of the Nurses' Labour Market in Australia. Nurses play an important role in the health system and help to ensure individuals lead healthier, happier and more productive lives. Devising cost-effective policies to ensure an adequate supply of motivated and productive nurses is crucial in achieving efficiency and equity in the health care system. The results will be used by government to help set optimal pay and conditions for nurses, and to ensure that these are competitive with other nurse employers. This will provide a firm evidence-base to reduce nurse shortages and therefore increase the quality of patient care in Australia.Read moreRead less
Job retention and advancement of disadvantaged job-seekers. This project will use empirical methods to help determine what is necessary for job retainment and career advancement of disadvantaged jobseekers. Job retainment and advancement are essential to prolonged workforce participation and the development of human capital of disadvantaged jobseekers re-entering the workforce. Understanding and supporting the drivers of workforce participation is identified as a National Research Priority. Ther ....Job retention and advancement of disadvantaged job-seekers. This project will use empirical methods to help determine what is necessary for job retainment and career advancement of disadvantaged jobseekers. Job retainment and advancement are essential to prolonged workforce participation and the development of human capital of disadvantaged jobseekers re-entering the workforce. Understanding and supporting the drivers of workforce participation is identified as a National Research Priority. Therefore, the project findings will be of considerable importance to employment policy development in Australia to help ensure that future policy developments improve the human capital of disadvantaged entrants to the labour market and alleviate longer-term poverty and social exclusion. Read moreRead less
A New Phase and New Issues of Rural-Urban Migration in China. China’s urbanisation has come to a turning point. The large pool of rural young workers (16-25 years of age), which fed the industrialisation needs of the 1990s and 2000s, has exhausted. Future growth needs to rely on the increase in the length of stay of the existing migrants and the increase in older new migrants. Due to this shift, the institutional restrictions, which deter family migration, become the key challenge. This project ....A New Phase and New Issues of Rural-Urban Migration in China. China’s urbanisation has come to a turning point. The large pool of rural young workers (16-25 years of age), which fed the industrialisation needs of the 1990s and 2000s, has exhausted. Future growth needs to rely on the increase in the length of stay of the existing migrants and the increase in older new migrants. Due to this shift, the institutional restrictions, which deter family migration, become the key challenge. This project examines the cost of the migration restrictions (shortened labour supply and reduced human capital accumulation for the current and next generation migrants: their education, health and pro-social behaviour); and the best way to reform the restrictions on family migration and the priority for the reform.Read moreRead less
New Initiatives in Enforcing Employment Standards: Assessing the Effectiveness of Federal Government Compliance Strategies. The well-being of more than eight million Australian employees is underpinned by statutory workplace entitlements. For the large majority of those employees, these are set by federal legislation. The statutory entitlements are meaningful only in so far as they are complied with, and improving the effectiveness of the federal enforcement agency, the Workplace Ombudsman, is t ....New Initiatives in Enforcing Employment Standards: Assessing the Effectiveness of Federal Government Compliance Strategies. The well-being of more than eight million Australian employees is underpinned by statutory workplace entitlements. For the large majority of those employees, these are set by federal legislation. The statutory entitlements are meaningful only in so far as they are complied with, and improving the effectiveness of the federal enforcement agency, the Workplace Ombudsman, is therefore of crucial public importance. This project provides the first comprehensive scholarly empirical evaluation of the Workplace Ombudsman. Its findings will identify multiple ways in which enforcement practices can be improved, not only for the Workplace Ombudsman, but also for comparable compliance agencies domestically and overseas.Read moreRead less