Centre for Future Work

Skilled health workers from Pacific Island countries are being poached to plug Australia’s shortage of care workers, leaving the health systems in their home countries on the brink of collapse, according to new research. A report by the Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute and Public Services International has also found that when workers get to Australia, many are being deskilled, underpaid and exploited.

With unemployment tumbling in February, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) should resist the urge to raise interest rates, says Australia Institute Chief Economist Greg Jericho. Unemployment fell dramatically in February, defying the expectations of many policymakers and economists. While the RBA has genuinely seen low unemployment as a key driver of inflation, Jericho said their belief is misguided.

May 31, 2019byDavid Peetz, Alison Pennington and Jim Stanford The unexpected results of the 2019 Commonwealth election have sparked many commentaries regarding what happened, and why. This article, reprinted with permission from Workplace Express, considers the role of the major #ChangeTheRules campaign mobilised by Australian unions in the lead-up to the election – and ponders the movement’s next steps in the continuing debate over labour market policies and industrial relations.

December 30, 2020byDan Nahum and Jim Stanford Economics Law, Society & Culture Australia’s labour market experienced unprecedented volatility during 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting recession. In the first part of the year, employment declined faster and more deeply than in any previous economic downturn, as workplaces were closed to control the spread of infection. Then, after May, employment rebounded strongly.

The Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute has urged the federal government to take charge of transitioning hundreds of workers into secure employment when the Eraring Power Station shuts down. The power station is scheduled to close by August 2027. More than 1000 workers will be directly impacted by the closure. This is an important test in Australia’s transition from fossil fuel power to renewables.

New research by The Australia Institute reveals there is little evidence of a “productivity crisis” in Australia, despite claims to the contrary from business leaders and politicians. Like the rest of the world, productivity has been sluggish since the COVID pandemic, but that is largely due to businesses failing to adequately invest in machinery, equipment, technology and skills, at a time when many are recording record profits.

A new report on Australia’s standard of living has found that low real wages, underfunded public services and skyrocketing prices have left many families experiencing hardship and hopelessness. But the report, Solving the Crisis – Raising Living Standards of Australian Workers, also concludes that there is hope, and suggests a range of reforms to improve our way of life.

New research by the Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute has revealed a disturbing new twist when it comes to unpaid overtime in Australia. The research has been released today to mark Go Home On Time Day 2025, an initiative by the Centre for Future Work, now into its 17th year. It is the first full year since Right To Disconnect Laws were introduced in Australia, back in August 2024.

The Centre for Future Work was established by the Australia Institute in 2016 to conduct and publish progressive economic research on work, employment, and labour markets.

Skilled health workers from Pacific Island countries are being poached to plug Australia’s shortage of care workers, leaving the health systems in their home countries on the brink of collapse, according to new research. A report by the Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute and Public Services International has also found that when workers get to Australia, many are being deskilled, underpaid and exploited.