Home > Publications > Economic Policy > Labour Market

• Labour Market

Labour markets tend to be among the most regulated markets in the economy. While these regulations were meant to protect workers, they are often counterproductive by putting obstacles in the way to job creation. Finding the right balance between these two goals remains a difficult task.

The Market for Employment

Gerald GarveyMay 1, 1994PM27

Australia’s labour market remains highly regulated. In most economic relationships, the parties are free to...

The Illusions of Comparable Wealth

Gabriel A. Moens, Suri RatnapalaJune 1, 1992PM23

The quest for the ‘just wage’ is perennial, but the concept has eluded satisfactory definition....

Wages and Welfare: the failing symbiosis

P.A. McGavinFebruary 1, 1992PM21

Labour-market regulations and welfare programs are significant features of Australia’s economic and social fabric. Many...

Liberating Labour: The Case for Freedom of Contract in Labour Relations

Michael JamesAugust 5, 1991OP36

Although the case against centralised wage-fixing has won increasing support in recent years, many reservations...

Beyond the Current Pessimism

Ray BallAugust 5, 1987OP18

Professor Ray Ball gives a personal interpretation of the historical roots of Australia’s economic malaise....

The Case Against the Arbitration Commission

P.P. McGuinnessApril 26, 1985OP11

The Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission is the main obstacle to much-needed reform of industrial...

Back to the Bad Old Days? Industrial Relations Reform in Australia

Alexander PhilipatosDecember 6, 2012PM133

Since the Labor Government replaced WorkChoices with the Fair Work Act, many business leaders have...

Overcoming a Culture of Low Expectations

March 28, 2012IA131

The most important thing we can do to encourage disadvantaged Australians into work – including...

Free-Trade Ferries: A Case for Competition

Alexander PhilipatosOctober 27, 2011IA127

Sydney needs a network of ferries that is able to cater to the city’s changing...

Working Towards Self-Reliance: Three Lessons for Disability Pension Reform

October 5, 2011PM124

To successful reduce the number of pensioners on disability support, policymakers must apply the lessons...

Populate and Perish? Modelling Australia’s Demographic Future

Oliver Marc HartwichOctober 7, 2010PM112

Although population growth has been one of the most hotly debated topics in recent months,...

Indigenous Employment, Unemployment and Labour Force Participation: Facts for Evidence Based Policies

Helen HughesFebruary 10, 2010PM107

More than 300,000 Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—60% of those identifying as Indigenous—are in the...

Why the system necessary for union influence to be effective has fallen away

Simon CowanNovember 19, 2022CANBERRA TIMES

With upcoming state elections in NSW and Victoria, not to mention the election of a...

If the superannuation wars are over, then the good guys lost

Simon CowanAugust 27, 2022CANBERRA TIMES

In the political world, it seems new ‘wars’ are breaking out all the time (reading,...

Resist protectionism and regulation

Simon CowanNovember 27, 2020IDEAS@THECENTRE

While the short-term issues associated with the recovery are crucially important, they’re not the...

Turning clock back

Simon CowanSeptember 27, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

California has passed legislation to significantly restrict the ability of businesses to use independent contractors....

Stop talking about the future of work

Glenn FaheyJuly 26, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

Ernst and Young’s recent report – Stop Talking about the Future of Work – implored...

Why Socialism always fails

Steven KatesMarch 15, 2019Spectator

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial Who’s Afraid of Socialism laid out the case that...

No Videos Available

Submission to the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service

Simon Cowan, Eugenie JosephAugust 1, 2018

Productivity Commission Inquiry Into Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services: Submission in response to issues paper

Trisha JhaJuly 1, 2016CIS Submission

The Human Services Inquiry is ‘examining policy options in the human services sector that incorporate...

Submission to the National Commission of Audit

Alexander Philipatos, Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Jeremy Sammut, Robert Carling, Simon Cowan, Stephen Kirchner, Trisha JhaApril 1, 2014T30.08

The federal government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) was established in 2013 to review the performance...

Submission to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee

Andrew BakerSeptember 10, 2012

Submission to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee

...

Submission to Remote Participation and Employment Servicing Arrangements

Helen Hughes, Mark Hughes, Sara HudsonOctober 11, 2011

The Discussion Paper’s focus on participation and employment in remote Indigenous communities is welcome because...

No Podcasts Available

• Subscribe

Subscribe now and stay in the loop with our giving appeals, event alerts, newsletters and research updates.

We are always pleased to hear from you. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us here:

+61 2 9438 4377

CIS Office

cis@cis.org.au

CIS Media

kpincott@cis.org.au

First Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

Phone(Required)

Email(Required)

Country(Required)

How did you hear about us?(Required)

Other Source(Required)