Publications
Gender Equity Insights 2026: Unlocking Australia’s workforce potential
Executive Summary Australia cannot afford to leave skills and experience on the sidelines. At a time when productivity growth is a pressing concern and workplace gender equality faces renewed scrutiny, employers need clear evidence of where opportunity narrows and what... Read article
Executive Summary Australia cannot afford to leave skills and experience on the sidelines. At a time when productivity growth is a pressing concern and workplace gender equality faces renewed scrutiny, employers need clear evidence of where opportunity narrows and what... Read article
2026 Poverty snapshot: The changing face of poverty in Western Australia
Executive Summary An estimated 456,000 Western Australians are living in poverty in 2026, including nearly 99,000 children. Poverty affects 15.1 per cent of the state’s population and around 214,000 households. These findings show the extent of the gap between the... Read article
Executive Summary An estimated 456,000 Western Australians are living in poverty in 2026, including nearly 99,000 children. Poverty affects 15.1 per cent of the state’s population and around 214,000 households. These findings show the extent of the gap between the... Read article
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – August 2026
National unemployment rate up from 4.5 per cent to 4.6 per cent, highest rate in almost five years. Solid employment growth keeps pressure on Reserve Bank to lift rates, despite the rise in the unemployment rate. Volatility in estimates for... Read article
National unemployment rate up from 4.5 per cent to 4.6 per cent, highest rate in almost five years. Solid employment growth keeps pressure on Reserve Bank to lift rates, despite the rise in the unemployment rate. Volatility in estimates for... Read article
Preventing Family and Domestic Violence in Fremantle
Executive Summary Family and domestic violence (FDV) is a significant issue for the Fremantle community. In 2024, the City of Fremantle identified FDV as one of its highest community priorities through its Social Needs Analysis, which highlighted increasing demand for... Read article
Executive Summary Family and domestic violence (FDV) is a significant issue for the Fremantle community. In 2024, the City of Fremantle identified FDV as one of its highest community priorities through its Social Needs Analysis, which highlighted increasing demand for... Read article
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – July 2026
National unemployment rate essentially unchanged, but rounding pushes the headline figure up from 4.4 per cent to 4.5 per cent. Modest decline in employment marks a solid outcome given the surge in jobs in previous month’s figures. Results impacted by... Read article
National unemployment rate essentially unchanged, but rounding pushes the headline figure up from 4.4 per cent to 4.5 per cent. Modest decline in employment marks a solid outcome given the surge in jobs in previous month’s figures. Results impacted by... Read article
Cross-Country Analysis of Labor Markets during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The authors study employment outcomes during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic across eight countries exhibiting different case levels and policy responses: the United States, Australia, France, Denmark, Italy, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden. While the proportion of people... Read article
The authors study employment outcomes during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic across eight countries exhibiting different case levels and policy responses: the United States, Australia, France, Denmark, Italy, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden. While the proportion of people... Read article
Youth, Social Media, and Mental Health: Evidence from Australian Panel Data
Social media use has become ubiquitous among young people, yet evidence on its association with mental health remains limited and mixed. In this study, we use rich longitudinal data from Australia and measure social media use based on the frequency... Read article
Social media use has become ubiquitous among young people, yet evidence on its association with mental health remains limited and mixed. In this study, we use rich longitudinal data from Australia and measure social media use based on the frequency... Read article
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – June 2026
Surprise jump in employment keeps pressure on interest rates. Unemployment rate holds steady at 4.4 per cent. Participation up and workers seeking more hours in response to rising living costs. Strong jobs growth casts doubt over labour market softening A... Read article
Surprise jump in employment keeps pressure on interest rates. Unemployment rate holds steady at 4.4 per cent. Participation up and workers seeking more hours in response to rising living costs. Strong jobs growth casts doubt over labour market softening A... Read article
Research Brief: Evaluating literacy and numeracy progressions in custody and desistance from crime: Evidence from Western Australia
This research was funded by a grant awarded under the Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research (WACSAR) Criminal Justice Research Grant Program, administered by the WA Department of Justice (the Department). This study investigates the impact of prisoners’... Read article
This research was funded by a grant awarded under the Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research (WACSAR) Criminal Justice Research Grant Program, administered by the WA Department of Justice (the Department). This study investigates the impact of prisoners’... Read article
Evaluating literacy and numeracy progressions in custody and desistance from crime: Evidence from Western Australia
This research was funded by a grant awarded under the Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research (WACSAR) Criminal Justice Research Grant Program, administered by the WA Department of Justice (the Department). This study investigates the impact of prisoners’... Read article
This research was funded by a grant awarded under the Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research (WACSAR) Criminal Justice Research Grant Program, administered by the WA Department of Justice (the Department). This study investigates the impact of prisoners’... Read article
Estimating a CPI-based regional price parity index for US cities
Geographic price differences confound comparisons of economic performance across cities by conflating nominal urban advantages with real differences in well-being. Existing tools only partially address this problem: the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes a Regional Price Parity (RPP) Index that... Read article
Geographic price differences confound comparisons of economic performance across cities by conflating nominal urban advantages with real differences in well-being. Existing tools only partially address this problem: the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes a Regional Price Parity (RPP) Index that... Read article
The role of the resources sector in harnessing and developing Australian STEM capability
The resources sector makes a vital contribution as the anchor for Australia’s science, research and industrial base. As the sector undergoes a structural evolution to capture a greater share of the minerals, materials and manufacturing value chain, new research commissioned... Read article
The resources sector makes a vital contribution as the anchor for Australia’s science, research and industrial base. As the sector undergoes a structural evolution to capture a greater share of the minerals, materials and manufacturing value chain, new research commissioned... Read article
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre team acknowledges the Wadjuk Nyungar people as the traditional owners of the land on which the Centre is situated.