It has been eight years since the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (also known as "Closing the Gap") set out a series of areas and targets designed to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous outcomes on a range of measures. A key objective was to halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous…

The loss of jobs in the automotive manufacturing industry, together with a more general decline of the manufacturing industry in Australia, has implications for the types of skills needed in the labour market. Both of these scenarios affect particular groups of people, such as displaced car workers, but within that category other groups such as…

This paper provides a brief overview of the current teacher workforce situation in Australia. It highlights workforce trends and projected growth, and areas where the collection and analysis of additional data may assist in the targeting of effective policy. Demand for teachers is on the rise. The population of primary students is set to increase…

This article analyses academic work and the academic workforce in the context of current dynamics and likely futures. It discusses the significance of academic work, reviews workforce characteristics, and analyses tensions and pressures. Prevailing conceptualisations, it is argued, do not reflect the current situation in which the profession finds…

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) ask participants how satisfied they are with aspects of their lives. Their answers give us a measure of the subjective wellbeing of our youth and can be used to explore the link between education, employment and wellbeing. Yet, wellbeing is broader than satisfaction with life. It also encompasses…

The purpose of this report is to provide national data on the technical and further education (TAFE) workforce in 2008 and, where possible, compare this with 2002 data collected for the report "Profiling the national vocational education and training workforce" (NCVER 2004). Currently, there is no regular consistent national collection…

One of the challenges facing Australia is the ageing of the population. Of major concern, especially to government, is that the dependency ratio--a measure of the burden that economically active persons carry by supporting dependent persons--will increase significantly unless older people keep working or immigration is used to change the…

This paper provides an analysis of revenue for and expenditure on Australian education institutions. It includes a review of funding from public and private sources and from overseas. Analyses are made for education as a whole and for the major sectors: schools, vocational education and training (VET) and higher education. Estimates are considered…

There have been fundamental changes in demand for and supply of teachers in Western Australia in recent years. Influences include increased high school retention, parent preference for private schools, falling teacher salaries, fewer students attracted to teaching careers. Attention to increasing the teacher supply is needed. (MSE)

The report on women with non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) in the Australian labor force was prepared to review the experience and needs of this population in recent years and to examine the various available sources of information. The first section reviews the standard statistical sources and their research methodologies. The second and…

The generic skills needed for the new economy were identified through a review of research studies. First, the development of sets of key competencies/key skills in Great Britain, the United States, and Australia were examined. The U.S. model, which involves a broader, more flexible, and more holistic set of generic skills, was contrasted with the…

The demand for and supply of skills in the automotive repairs and service trades in Australia were examined to identify skill shortages in the industry. Special attention was paid to the following items: (1) the industry's demand for skills (employment levels; growth; and prospects); (2) the supply of skills to the industry's existing work force…

This book explores the problem of developing a framework for rethinking human capital information and decision making in light of the economic changes that are currently occurring in many Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. It examines human capital information and decision making in the context of recent developments…

This guide, which is intended for human resources personnel, industry trainers, educators working in industry, and others interested in learning in the workplace, presents practical guidelines for maximizing the benefits of learning on the job by creating an effective learning environment in the workplace. Discussed in the introduction are key…

Migration patterns to and from Australia are becoming complex with migration programmes increasingly targeted towards meeting the needs of the labour market and regional development. This paper provides an analysis of the permanent and temporary movements of people to and from Australia in the last three years and their impact on the skilled…