Governments are notorious for missing targets. Look no further than France or Spain’s recent fiscal calumny, despite the European Union’s excessive deficit procedure. Closer to home, the Association of…
Australia is a long way from consensus on G20 economic growth.
Jason Reed/AAP
When the central bank governors and finance ministers from the G20 agreed in February to increase growth by at least two percentage points over the next five years, they fell short of delivering a common…
The argument that strong employment rights are incompatible with economic growth has long exerted a strong influence on the minds of politicians. The relentless economic difficulties in the EU since 2008…
The government incentivises workers to relocate for a job, but is it incentivising the right workers?
Faisal Akram/Flickr
As a policy response to unemployment and structural change, incentives for workers to relocate in search of work have been pushing higher up the policy agenda. This has been the trend since the World Bank’s…
Emerging economies like India are pushing ahead on innovation measures, while advanced economies see productivity declines.
World Bank/Flickr
The Conference Board’s latest productivity measure shows efficiency remains a problem for the global economy - and interestingly that innovation, despite occurring, may not be helping. The business research…
There is little evidence to support the belief that Australia’s productivity declines are linked to the need for labour market reform.
AAP
It is not easy to devise a solution to Australia’s productivity slowdown when a shared understanding of the problem is so elusive. While there is recognition among policy-makers that productivity is a…
Plans by Spain’s new conservative government to push through deep labour reform has provoked protests, as it struggles to tackle its soaring unemployment rate.
AAP
Spain’s general strike last week has sent a clear message to other Eurozone countries about how challenging it may be to implement labour market reform. The strike was mostly peaceful, with the exception…
Strong past productivity performance is not the best indicator of current performance.
AAP
As the Commissioners of the Fair Work Act Review work their way through the mountain of submissions, one of the most critical aspects they will be called on to consider is the relationship between labour…
Young people are subjected to the most harmful economic effects of the two-speed economy.
Much of the commentary around the “two-speed” economy focuses on the differences between the gains made by mining-related sectors and other parts of the Australian economy that have slowed in recent years…
Cutting penalty rates and reviving individual workplace agreements will have no impact on productivity.
AAP
Business leaders are insisting changes be made to the Fair Work Act to boost productivity. Retailers apparently face a crisis because of penalty rates, and an MP agrees that penalty rates stymie productivity…
Back in the day…. the electorate rejected labour market reform the first time, so why push for a return?
AAP
When it comes to improving living standards in Australia today, labour market reform is not a first-order issue. Achieving better health and social outcomes for the Indigenous population - yes. Increasing…