Some 71% of Australians support companies being forced to repay JobKeeper funds if they did not need it, according to a recent opinion survey.
From May to August, there was a loss of 175,000 casual jobs, which represented 72% of all the jobs lost across the labour market.
Healthcare staff in New South Wales (NSW) must be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine by September 30, said NSW health minister Brad Hazzard.
The government is expanding wage subsidies for businesses which employ apprentices into the latter’s second and third years.
Changes to the Fair Work Act were passed in March, allowing casual staff the right to convert to permanent employment after 12 months of work.
It expects that strict lockdowns in New South Wales and Victoria state are likely to see the national economy shrink over the September quarter.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has called on the government to do more to address the gender gap for women in the workforce.
The proportion of Australians working from home had increased from 8% to 40% over the past two year, according to an official review.
Thousands of Australian healthcare workers risk losing their jobs if they opt not to be vaccinated under new government rules.
A Facebook group “Jobs Without Jabs Australia” with 20,000 members is opposing the vaccination requirement for jobs.
Unions have lauded the decision to provide payments to workers over 17 years of age if certain conditions are met.
The largest increase in workers holding multiple jobs include the sectors of administrative and support services, as well as arts and recreation.
The sharpest decline in job ads in the month were registered in areas currently under lockdown, with falls registered in NSW, ACT and Victoria.
The Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill of 2021 protects all Australians from workplace sexual harassment.
After 12 weeks of training in a new A$64 million programme, workers will be placed in a 12-week paid internship with a Victorian firm.
A compensation scheme has been launched to protect employers and medical professionals who carry out COVID-19 vaccinations.
The leave covers full-time, part-time, long-term staff and regular casuals at public entities, and grants workers half a day off to get their jabs.
The employment minister has said there are more than 150 occupations facing skill shortages across a range of sectors in the country.
The country’s average annual salary breached the A$90,000 (US$64,191) mark for the first time, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The country’s unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 4.6% in July month-on-month even amid the lockdown in greater Sydney.
Unions and employer groups have generally taken the stance in line with that of the government on vaccine mandates.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has cautioned that firms offering staff vaccination incentives could be exposed to compensation claims.
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has proposed a system to determine whether mandatory vaccination for employees would be considered reasonable.
Under the guidelines, employers should be able to take the necessary precautions should their workers be unvaccinated.
The country will not enact special laws to mandate vaccination, but employers can make inoculation compulsory in high-risk environments.
The gender gap persists in more areas other than pay, such as the number of hours worked, highlights QCOSS.
Flexible working arrangements are also encouraged so that vaccine appointments can be scheduled for about 400,000 workers employed by the state.
The federal government is testing new approaches to design qualifications and training that meet the skills needed for a job in the digital sector.
Major employer groups have called for revived powers to reduce workers’ hours, stand staff down and direct people to take annual leave.
However, underemployment crept up by 0.5% to 7.9% as the economy responded to lockdowns in the states of Victoria and New South Wales.