Participation and Employment

Improved levels of labour force participation and productivity are vital to maintaining living standards and economic growth. The workforce needs of Western Australia and Australia as a whole will change as the economy undergoes cyclical upturns and downturns. This research theme informs the development of policies aimed at meeting workforce needs and promoting productivity in WA and nationally. Examples include labour market barriers and opportunities faced by disadvantaged groups in society, such as low-skilled individuals and the long-term unemployed; the role that skilled migration plays in meeting changing workforce needs; and changing labour market conditions in WA.

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BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – February 2023 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan, Astghik Mavisakalyan Labour market rebounds with 64,600 new jobs in February, at odds with anticipated weakening. Strong outcome primarily driven by rising employment in Victoria. February’s labour market data makes the Reserve Bank’s next interest rate decision a line call. The soft... Read article 21 March 2023 Read More
Go Your Own WA: Recovery and regeneration for the tourism industry in Western Australia Alan Duncan, Alex Buckland, Abebe Hailemariam, Daniel Kiely, Silvia Salazar, Valentina Sanchez Arenas, Clayton Dias, Michael Volgger The seventh report in the BCEC Focus on Industry report series, Go Your Own Way: Recovery and regeneration for the tourism industry in Western Australia, examines the dynamics of the tourism industry before and after the COVID-19 crisis and outlines the road to... Read article 3 March 2023BCEC Reports  |  Focus on Industry Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – January 2023 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan, Astghik Mavisakalyan Evidence of downturn builds, but unlikely to save mortgage holders from further pain Can we get inflation under control without driving the economy into recession? That’s the big challenge for Australian policy-makers for 2023. After eight consecutive interest rate rises... Read article 17 February 2023Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – December 2022 Alan Duncan, Michael Dockery, Astghik Mavisakalyan Despite little change, December figures may mark a turning point Nationally, there was minimal movement in the main labour force aggregates in December. Total employment fell marginally, by 14,600 jobs or one tenth of a per cent, the participation rate... Read article 23 January 2023Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – November 2022 Alan Duncan, Michael Dockery, Astghik Mavisakalyan No November pain for employment, only for borrowers Estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) labour force survey for November show no signs of the anticipated economic downturn. The national labour market managed to absorb a surprising 71,300 new... Read article 19 December 2022Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – October 2022 Alan Duncan, Michael Dockery, Astghik Mavisakalyan Jobs up, unemployment down, but real wages keep on falling The Australian labour market remains defiant in the face of rising interest rates, adding 32,000 additional jobs in October. The unemployment rate fell back to 3.4 per cent, equalling the... Read article 23 November 2022Monthly Labour Market Update Read More