Category Archives: Employment

Gender pay gap: why do male CEOs with daughters pay women more?

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

Should a woman tending to personal care needs of an elderly person be paid more or less than a male garbage disposal worker? The government’s decision to support a pay rise for 150,000 social and community services workers delivers a … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavioural Economics, Employment, Inequality | Leave a comment

Should we worry about not “making stuff”?

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

Do you sometimes worry about Australia becoming a place that doesn’t “make things” any more? Let me lighten your load. Kevin Rudd used to worry about such things. In his first press conference as opposition leader in 2006, Rudd stressed … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment | Leave a comment

Euro zone a car crash: best keep your eyes on the road

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

You know how most of the traffic created by a car crash is not the crash itself, but everyone slowing down to have a rubberneck? Well, the same thing can happen with economies. And fair enough, the unfolding car crash … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Budget, Currency, Employment, Gillard Government, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | 1 Comment

Monopoly blues: why top bosses’ riches are undeserved

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

In the hit Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, a young window washer discovers a book that tells him the secrets to climbing the corporate ladder. If such a book were to exist in Australia, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Employment, Global Financial Crisis | Leave a comment

Super tax concessions not so super

Posted on October 3, 2011 by

To all the baby boomers out there nursing wounded retirement nest eggs and having to work into your dotage, my sympathies. But spare a thought for future generations. Looks like we’ll be working even longer, not to mention paying higher … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Employment, Irvine Index, Tax | 3 Comments

Don’t Panic! You’re all going to panic now, aren’t you?

Posted on September 26, 2011 by

IS THERE any more surefire way to induce widespread panic than the phrase “don’t panic”? Well, here goes anyway: DON’T PANIC. May as well leave panicking to the fickle souls trading daily in financial markets, if only because they are … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | 1 Comment

Whither house prices?

Posted on August 15, 2011 by

Want to hear some good news? Amid the sharemarket turmoil, street riots and other portents of impending apocalypse, relative calm has descended on the Australian housing market. Home affordability has improved.

Posted in Banks, Employment, Housing, Interest Rates, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

Don’t be fooled by the whinging, we’re ok

Posted on August 1, 2011 by

We don’t like carbon taxes and we don’t like boats. Mention population growth and we’re at each other’s throats. We don’t like interest rate rises and we disdain debt. We can’t stomach liars and we never forget. Australians, it seems, … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavioural Economics, Employment, Housing, Inflation, Interest Rates, Reserve Bank | 3 Comments

The economics of chucking a sickie

Posted on July 25, 2011 by

Bob Hawke said it best in September 1983 after watching Alan Bond’s 12-metre yacht, the Australia II, sail to victory in the America’s Cup: “I tell you what, any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Fitness, Fun, Irvine Index | Leave a comment

How much does mining really contribute?

Posted on July 22, 2011 by

To believe some of what we hear lately, the Australian economy has hitched its entire fortunes to the profit margins of the big mining companies. Having once hitched a ride on the sheep’s back, Australians are now driving a monster … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Gillard Government, Mining Boom, Tax | Leave a comment