Archived News for Human Resource Professionals
Up to 4,200 Commonwealth public servants will lose their jobs as a result of measures in the 2012-13 budget, with 3000 expected to be made redundant over the next 14 months.
The CPSU is calling on the Government to guarantee that the job reductions will be done without forced redundancies.
CPSU National Secretary Nadine Flood said "Finance Minister Penny Wong said last November that the Government had a 'strong expectation' that the 4 per cent efficiency dividend would be met without the need for forced redundancies.
Government outlines assistance to First Fleet workers
The Federal Government has announced plans to expedite assistance for unpaid entitlements for workers who have lost their jobs at transport company First Fleet and car parts manufacturer CMI Industrial.
National Career Development Strategy dumped
The Federal budget has cut funding for the National Career Development Strategy from 30 June 2012, generating savings of $17.0 million over three years.
Queensland Government announces new wages deal
The Queensland Government has announced a new wages framework providing pay increases of up to 3 per cent to public servants in return for productivity savings.
Queensland looks to reform sub-contractor payment laws
The Queensland Housing and Public Works Minister Bruce Flegg is examining a number of reforms, including legislative changes, to help sub-contractors receive payment for their work.
ANZ releases April job advertising figures
The ANZ has released its job advertising figures for April, finding the total number of job advertisements have fallen 3.1 per cent in April after rising 0.7 per cent in March, meaning the results are about 1.7 per cent lower than the April 2011 level.
Employer commencement incentive payment scrapped for non-National Skills list
In addition, the Government will achieve savings of $47.8 million over four years from 2012-13 by changing the payment arrangements for the standard apprenticeship commencement incentive. The incentive payment will be made six months after an apprentice commences employment rather than the current three months.
Mature Age Workers targeted in budget
The Australian Government has announced it will broaden the eligibility of the More Help for Mature Age Workers (MHMAW) program and make changes to the payment structure to help address current levels of unmet demand.
Unemployment continues to drop
Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased 0.2 percentage points to 4.9 per cent in April, as announced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). There was also a decrease in the labour force participation rate of 0.1 percentage points in April to 65.2 per cent.
The ABS reported the number of people employed increased by 15,500 to 11,501,000 in April. The increase in employment was driven by increased part-time employment, up 26,000 people to 3,438,200, and was offset by decrease in full-time employment, down 10,500 people to 8,062,800. The increase in employment was mainly driven by an increase in male part-time employment.
The number of people unemployed decreased by 28,800 people to 598,200 in April, the ABS reported.
The ABS monthly aggregate hours worked series showed an increase in April, up 6.6 million hours to 1,633.9 million hours.
There has been some interest recently in how changes in the Australian population impact on the estimates of employment from the Labour Force Survey. The responses collected from the sample of people in the survey are weighted to projections of the Australian population for the current quarter. These population projections are based on the most up-to-date information available, but are different to the official estimates of resident population that are calculated at a later date. In order to explain these issues, the ABS has produced a special feature article "Population Benchmarks and the Labour Force Survey" in this month's publication.
More details are in the April 2012 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0), as well as the upcoming April 2012 issue of Labour Force, Australia, Detailed (cat. no. 6291.0.55.001) due for release next week on May 17. Both publications are available for free download (after release) from the ABS website - www.abs.gov.au.
$25.8 million to help mature age jobseekers
The Federal Government has announced $25.8 million in spending over four years to provide assistance for eligible mature age jobseekers in finding and keeping a job.
$40 million to help the unemployed and studying
The Federal Government has announced $40 million in spending over four years to soften the blow of the newly unemployed and assist in making the most of savings while looking for a new job or studying.
Funding for child care announced
The Federal Government has announced an extra $225.1 million in Budget spending over four years in child care assistance to assist parents train and re-skill to enter or return to the workforce.
ABS releases mums and work statistics
Increasingly mums are returning to the workforce when their youngest child begins school, statistics from the ABS show.
Fair Work Ombudsman orders back payment for workers classed as contractors
Six workers in Albury-Wodonga have been back-paid a total of $48,700 following recent intervention by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Fair Work Ombudsman recovers lost wages
The Fair Work Ombudsman has recently recovered almost $60,000 for dozens of workers in Victoria’s Goldfields region.
High Court rules against James Hardie directors
The High Court has ruled that seven former directors of James Hardie misled the Australian Stock Exchange about the company’s ability to fund compensation claims from asbestos victims.
Queensland Government announces new public sector productivity deal
The Queensland Government has announced a new wages framework providing pay increases of up to 3 per cent to public servants in return for productivity savings that deliver better services and value for money for Queensland taxpayers.
$7.1 million invested in CBEAS
The Federal Government will provide $7.1 million over four years to ensure five Community Based Employment Advice Services (CBEAS) can continue to assist thousands of Australia’s most vulnerable workers.
Fair Trading NSW tough on property cheats
A property manager employed by a Sydney commercial property management company has been convicted of seven counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and sentenced to a maximum of 18 months imprisonment, suspended on him entering into a bond.
Employers push to remove penalty rates
An employer push to remove weekend penalty rates for workers in restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs would slash the pay of many of Australia’s lowest-paid workers, say unions.
ALRC releases mature aged workers issues paper
The Australian Law Reform Council (ALRC) has released an Issues Paper for its inquiry into the legal barriers to mature aged participation in the workforce.