Economics - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe dragon Down Under: the regional labour market impact of growth in Chinese imports to Australia(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-11-02)
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ItemIs It 'Dog Days' for the Young in the Australian Labour Market?(WILEY, 2021-12)Abstract From 2008–2019 there was a substantial deterioration in employment outcomes for the young (aged 15–24 years) in Australia. Their employment/population rate decreased by 4.3 percentage points, whereas for those aged 25 years and above it increased by 1 percentage point. We argue that the major cause was the young being ‘crowded out’ from employment due to an increase in labour market competition. Adjustment to increased competition also meant they were more likely to: be employed part‐time or long‐term unemployed; start their work careers in lower‐quality jobs; and need to compete for jobs through activities such as unpaid internships.
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ItemThe Impact of Growth in Manufactured Imports from China on Employment in Australia*(WILEY, 2021-06)We examine how rapid growth in imports of manufactured goods from China affected employment in Australia from 1991 to 2006. Alternative sources of variation in Chinese import exposure (at industry level and between local labour markets) are used to identify the effect on employment. Growth in imports from China is estimated to have reduced manufacturing employment by around 53,200 to 78,900 workers, representing 5.3 to 7.5 per cent of that workforce in 1991. Largest impacts are found for manufacturing industries most exposed to import competition from China; and from 2001 to 2006 when import growth was strongest.
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ItemWhere are the returns to lifelong learning?(Springer (part of Springer Nature), 2019)Participation in formal education during adulthood (ages 25–54) is a key part of lifelong learning. Employing unique longitudinal data for Australia, we highlight the prevalence of such study, the varied reasons for undertaking it (consumption, career development, job and home disruption), and investigate whether it is socially valuable. Our more detailed estimates of the labour market return to adult education (wage rates, employment, hours of work and occupational status) confirm previous studies that generally found such returns to be small and isolated. We contribute to this literature by also estimating the effect of adult education on job satisfaction and satisfaction with employment opportunities. Increases in satisfaction help rationalise the education enrolment decisions of these adults.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableDo School Principals Respond to Increased Public Scrutiny? New Survey Evidence from Australia(Wiley, 2018-06-01)We explore responses of Australian school principals to the introduction of test score reporting via the My School website in 2010. Theory suggests that heightened public scrutiny should motivate principals to adopt best practices for improving their schools' test results. We use responses from both public and private schools to a custom-built questionnaire administered to principals before (2009) and after (2012) the My School website launch. We find scarce evidence of meaningful adjustments over time, but we do find evidence of significantly different policies and practices across school groups.
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ItemAre Robots Taking Our Jobs?(Wiley, 2017-12)This article assesses the effect of computer-based technologies on employment in Australia. We find that: (i) the total amount of work available has not decreased following the introduction of computer-based technologies; and (ii) the pace of structural change and job turnover in the labour market has not accelerated with the increasing application of computer-based technologies. A review of recent studies that claim computer-based technologies may be about to cause widespread job destruction establishes several major flaws with these predictions. Our suggested explanation for why techno-phobia has such a grip on popular imagination is a human bias to believe that ‘we live in special times’.
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ItemLabour Market Inequality in Australia(Wiley, 2016-01-01)This article reviews developments in labour market inequality in Australia. First, descriptive information on changes in labour market inequality and on the causes of those changes is integrated with a summary of findings from recent research. Second, the effect of changes in labour market inequality on income inequality is evaluated. Third, evidence on differences in earnings and employment outcomes between specific groups - by gender, Indigenous status and country of birth - is considered. Finally, some suggestions for future research are presented.
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ItemJob Polarisation and Earnings Inequality in Australia(Wiley, 2016)We investigate changes in the occupation structure in Australia between 1966 and 2011, and the effect of these changes on the earnings distribution. Occupation changes exhibited job polarisation (growth in high and low skill jobs, declines in middle skill jobs) in the 1980s and 1990s and general upskilling in the 1970s and 2000s. Any job polarisation has been primarily a male phenomenon. Occupation changes were consistent with the loss of jobs that were high in routine task intensity. Changes in occupational composition and associated earnings changes contributed significantly to growth in overall earnings inequality from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s.
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ItemTuition fees and equality of university enrolment(WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC, 2009-08)Abstract The relationship between tuition fee changes and the university enrolment of youth by parental income group in Canada is investigated. Comparisons between youth from Canadian provinces that increased tuition fees sharply in the 1990s and youth from provinces that instituted fee freezes were integral to identifying the relationship. Tuition fee increases coincided with reductions in the university enrolment of low‐income youth, but with significantly smaller changes in the university enrolment of other youth. The relationships between government funding of universities and cohort size and university enrolments are also analyzed.