Vol. 36 No. 3 2010

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https://hdl.handle.net/2328/25975

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 10
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    Symposium 7: The Fair Work Australia Minimum Wage Decision Viewed From Afar
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010) Sloane, Peter J
    This paper attempts to put the minimum wage increase into an international context and in particular to focus on the special provisions relating to disabled workers. It is suggested that consideration be given to the inter-relationship between the special provisions and other policies directed at the disabled.
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    Symposium 5: An American Perspective on the 2010 Increase in the Australian Minimum Wage
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010) Burkhauser, R.
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    Symposium 4: Australia's Other Two-Speed Economy: Gender, Employment and Earnings in the Slow Lane
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010) Jefferson, Therese ; Preston, Alison
    Talk of a 'two-speed economy' was prevalent in Australia in the first half of 2010. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry argued against a significant increase in the minimum wage on the basis that most minimum wage earners were employed in the 'slower' sectors of the Australian economy, where employers could not afford increased employment costs. This article considers the recent Fair Work Australia wage decision in the context of the argument that Australia has a two-speed economy. Using earnings and employment data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, we find that it is possible to identify significantly different patterns to the earnings outcomes experienced within specific sections of the Australian economy. There are some clear 'tracks', particularly between men and women in the private sector. The data suggest that the recent minimum wage decision will play an important role in countering labour market inequities, particularly those that are evident in Australia's gender pay gap. Further work remains to be done, however, and the forthcoming equal remuneration case will provide a further opportunity for Fair Work Australia to contribute to gender pay equity in Australia.
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    Symposium 3: An Unfair Safety Net
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010) Wooden, Mark
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    Symposium 2: Minimum Wage Setting under Fair Work Australia: Back to the Future?
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010) Harper, I. ; McKibbin, R.
    Fair Work Australia (FWA) recently handed down its first minimum wage decision - a $26 per week increase. Although the decision emanated from new legislation, which explicitly references fairness and living standards of the low paid, both the decision and the process by which it was reached closely resemble those of its predecessor, the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC). It is possible that this resemblance will diminish over time as interpretation of the legislation evolves. But the fundamental need to balance employment and income effects of minimum wage adjustments may lead FWA to deliver similar decisions to the AFPC's notwithstanding the different emphasis in its legislation.