In the UK, according to the Living Wage Foundation, some 1,000 firms have pledged to offer a living wage, including household names like RBS, ITV and SSE. Earlier this week the annual rate increase was…
During the past two decades, the US casino industry has expanded dramatically. According to the American Gaming Association, there are now nearly 1,000 commercial and tribal casinos in the country. Plans…
The moment an undergraduate student starts a business degree, their mind is already geared to the job offers they hope will be coming thick and fast upon graduation. Yet there is an ongoing mismatch between…
Lord Freud’s comments that some disabled people were “not worth” paying the full minimum wage – that they are somehow worth less than others – have caused widespread offence. But by bringing the issue…
If you’ve ever applied for a job, you know how hard it is to write the perfect cover letter that will make you stand out above all the other applicants. It’s a competitive job market, and more often than…
It’s Work-Life Week, when employers and employees are asked to think about how they juggle their working lives and to perhaps try to strike a balance. In the UK, we’re more likely than others in neighbouring…
When the Youth Contract was launched in 2012, it was described by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg as “a major moment for Britain’s unemployed young people”. With an overall budget of £1bn, the plan…
Australia’s migration policy has shifted significantly in the past 20 years, leaving a system subject to widespread rorting and controversy. If there is a single lesson to be learnt from the revelations…
(COMMENTS UPDATED) In the lead up to last year’s federal election, the government promised two million new jobs within 10 years. Its focus was on the “five pillar economy” of manufacturing, agriculture…
It’s Open Day season at universities across Australia. Prospective students are pondering whether it’s worth doing a degree or not – and in particular, whether it will increase their chances of gaining…
The gender pay gap between women and men graduates has long been an indicator of pay disparities later along the career path. New data released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency has shown there…
Many young people are open to the idea of undertaking an apprenticeship rather than going to university, according to a new study published by the Sutton Trust charity and education company Pearson. But…
The old jokes about creative arts and humanities graduates serving at the local fast food outlet are hard to put to rest – they speak to long-held concerns around the value of creative degrees, and to…
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens has ticked off on a major item on the “to do” list for Australian policy-makers: raise the rate of growth in labour productivity. In his keynote speech…
A fifth of UK workers are employed in the public sector. Though public sector work is obvious crucial – schools, hospitals, police and so on – measuring performance can be a challenge as output is not…
Across the world, governments are asking how to close the gap between the world of education and the world of employment. Now a new collection of papers has set out just how important employer interventions…
The norm of permanent full-time terms of employment is under serious challenge. In Australia today more than one-third of employed people work on more variable terms – in particular as casuals (19%), independent…
In a world of iPhones and drones, people are right to wonder why they are still working so hard. The past century saw huge technological advances and yet there hasn’t been a corresponding increase in leisure…
Indian women are more educated than they have ever been. Yet, the latest figures show that fewer of them are working. Some have attributed the decline to increased enrolment in education of younger population…
The UK’s workforce is getting older and older, and manufacturing will be particularly hard hit. However, wiser firms will make the most of the opportunities this opens up – older workers have the skills…