We estimate that unemployment and underemployment in the 13 years between 2004 and 2016 directly resulted in more than 3,000 Australian deaths by suicide.
High unemployment rates are among South Africa’s biggest challenges. Three of the president’s advisors talk through what is needed to change the status quo.
Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
What’s driving this new ultra-low unemployment? Digging into economic data reveals something we haven’t seen before – which has already changed the lives of almost 100,000 Australians.
The concept of unemployment and an unemployment rate is fairly new, dating back to the end of the second world war. It’s increasingly unfit for purpose.
The share of the population in work has hit an all-time high as the share of the workforce underemployed has hit a 14-year low. The fresh low in unemployment will bring higher interest rates, and perhaps higher wages.
The March 29 budget will contain “targeted and proportionate” help for families with cost of living pressures and move fiscal policy towards stabilising and reducing debt.
Whereas digital work can bring freedom and flexibility into the lives of workers in Africa, it can also contribute towards their precarity and vulnerability.