Comments on: If you think Australia’s working, ask someone who isn’t … much

By: rossco

rossco — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:27:22 +0000

In response to David Hollands, the ABS unemployment figures are based on a household survey, not Centrelink registrations/unemployment benefits. So people in his situation could be counted in the unemployed if they are covered by the survey.

By: beryceann@bigpond.com

beryceann@bigpond.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:53:38 +0000

Consider the army of contracted professional workers effectively doing full time loads but being paid as part time casuals - just an hourly rate that covers half what is actually done, and earns them approximately 60% of the basic wage if they are lucky. (The AWA’s will still exist for many Australian workers until 2012) Our professional services organisations, state public service departments, universities, schools and hospitals etc are underpinned by the work of such people - the majority of whom are women. As well, consider the hidden unemployed group of older women over 57 but under 65 who are reliant solely on the widow’s allowance - they are paid approximately $245 per week. This is quite apart from the elderly men and women I often see cleaning the airports who receive just over $13 per hour. Young people between 15 and 18 are supposed to be “earning or learning” - just another way of distorting the figures and hiding a large pool of umemployed youth. In my view the “low” unemployment rates of the past decade were a myth built on these and other tactical deceits - and the real unemployment figure was then, and still remains, between 10% and 12% of the population.

By: Keith is not my real name

Keith is not my real name — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:15:45 +0000

Tricky question really, if you asked me (or my friends) we’d all say we want the option to work more(gain extra $) but in truth, we don’t want to do the time.

By: David Hollands

David Hollands — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:03:49 +0000

There is another category of hidden unemployment. I have been unemployed for over 12 months, but Centrelink decrees that I have too many assets to receive unemployment benefits. I guess any older worker in my situation losing their job will also be in the hidden unemployed. The asset? I am able to draw on my superannuation.

By: Phil Teece

Phil Teece — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:41:53 +0000

In claiming that Gary Morgan ‘has waged a more or less lone battle to get a more comprehensive and accurate measurement of unemployment into the national debate’, Bernard Keane does a grave disservice to Professor Bill Mitchell and his Centre for Full Employment team at Newcastle University. They have been providing a far more detailed and comprehensive analysis of the real employment picture in Australia than ABS [or Gary Morgan, for that matter] for many, many years.