The Fair Work Commission today conceded that inflated concerns about the impact of minimum wage increases on employment may have led to it being "overly cautious" in past rulings.
As the FWC minimum wage panel draws closer to a determination in its annual review, a discussion paper based on surveys of more than 700,000 "lesser skilled" Americans has questioned whether policymakers need to consider mechanisms other than minimum pay rates as a means of improving health outcomes for low-paid workers.
Average pay rises in private sector agreements struck in last year's December quarter returned to the recent trend of about 3% a year, according to new Department of Employment data.
Australia's major banks say they will overhaul retail employees' pay structures to reduce the importance of incentives, commissions and variable rewards.
The RBA has conceded its forecasts for wage growth have been "consistently too strong" for at least the past five years, but says there is limited evidence that the low rises are due to workers’ declining bargaining power.
The number of industrial disputes hit an 11-year high last year, according to new ABS data released today, but they are nevertheless occurring at less than 15% of the level of 30 years ago.
The Federal Government should consider requiring APS agencies to report to the WGEA on their performance against gender equality targets, University of NSW researcher Sue Williamson told an IR academics' conference this month.
RBA Governor Philip Lowe today used a House committee public hearing to restate his view that Australia's recent record of negligable wage growth may be nearing an end, suggesting that an improving local outlook amid a rebounding global economy would see increased pressure on employers to share the proceeds.
The rapid rise of the "gig" economy has "normalised" sham contracting and exploitation of young workers, according to a submission to a Senate inquiry into corporate avoidance of the Fair Work Act.
