Employment situation during Covid-19 outbreak
Q. Which of the following best describes the impact of Covid-19 on your work:
| Gender | Age Group | Location | |||||||
| Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Capital | Non-Capital | ||
| I wasn’t in paid work before the Covid-19 outbreak | 41% | 34% | 47% | 27% | 27% | 65% | 37% | 48% | |
| I was in paid work before the Covid-19 outbreak but am not now | 19% | 20% | 17% | 32% | 17% | 9% | 20% | 16% | |
| I’m still in paid work but am worried about losing my job because of the Covid-19 outbreak | 25% | 28% | 22% | 31% | 34% | 11% | 28% | 18% | |
| I’m still in paid work and am not worried about losing my job because of the Covid-19 outbreak | 16% | 18% | 14% | 11% | 22% | 14% | 15% | 17% | |
| Base (n) | 1,086 | 539 | 547 | 341 | 362 | 383 | 727 | 359 | |
- 25% of participants are worried about losing their job because of the Covid-19 outbreak and another 19% were in paid employment before the outbreak, but now are not.
- 32% of 18-34 year olds say they were in paid work before the Covid-19 outbreak but am not now – this is higher than 35-54 year olds (17%).
Impact of Budget on employment
Q. Do you think the Government’s budget will be good or bad for employment in Australia?
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Total good |
21% |
8% |
46% |
3% |
11% |
|
| Total bad |
49% |
76% |
15% |
74% |
67% |
|
| Very good |
4% |
4% |
8% |
– |
1% |
|
| Good |
17% |
4% |
38% |
3% |
10% |
|
| Neither good nor bad |
21% |
13% |
31% |
12% |
16% |
|
| Bad |
24% |
30% |
13% |
37% |
31% |
|
| Very bad |
25% |
46% |
2% |
37% |
36% |
|
| Don’t know |
9% |
4% |
8% |
11% |
5% |
49% think that the Government’s budget will be bad for employment in Australia and 21% think it will be good for employment.
Among those earning less than $600pw, 17% think it will be good and 60% think it will be bad.
Employment by religious organisations
Q. Should religious organisations be allowed to refuse to hire people who don’t live according to the organisations’ beliefs?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Men |
Women |
Aged 18-34 |
Aged 35-54 |
Aged 55+ |
|
| Yes |
34% |
26% |
42% |
22% |
34% |
33% |
35% |
31% |
37% |
| No |
52% |
58% |
48% |
63% |
54% |
51% |
54% |
50% |
54% |
| Don’t know |
14% |
16% |
10% |
15% |
12% |
15% |
11% |
19% |
9% |
34% think that religious organisations should be allowed to refuse to hire people who don’t live according to the organisations’ beliefs and 52% think they should not.
Those most likely to think they should not were Labor voters (58%), Greens voters (63%) and respondents on lower incomes (57% of those earning less than $1,000pw).
Australian Workers under a Liberal Government
Q. Do you think Australian workers would be better off or worse off under a Liberal Government lead by Tony Abbott?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Work full time |
Work part time |
|
| Total better off |
32% |
8% |
65% |
8% |
35% |
27% |
| Total worse off |
37% |
75% |
4% |
65% |
34% |
40% |
| A lot better off |
15% |
3% |
33% |
– |
17% |
12% |
| A little better off |
17% |
5% |
32% |
8% |
18% |
15% |
| Make no difference |
19% |
12% |
22% |
15% |
21% |
20% |
| A little worse off |
9% |
12% |
3% |
17% |
10% |
11% |
| A lot worse off |
28% |
63% |
1% |
48% |
24% |
29% |
| Don’t know |
11% |
5% |
8% |
12% |
9% |
12% |
32% think that Australian workers would be better off under a Liberal Government lead by Tony Abbott and 37% think they would be worse off – and 19% think it would make no difference.
Full-time workers split 35% better off and 34% worse off while part-time workers were more likely to think workers would be worse off (40% worse off/27% better off).
43% of respondents aged 45-64 think workers would be worse off and 31% better off. 40% of those earning under $1,000 pw thought workers would be worse off and 33% better off.
Can a price on carbon create jobs?
Tim Ayres tells manufacturers to focus on opportunities in clean energy and new government subsidies.
Despite the hyperbole on one side and scaremongering on the other, the much debated carbon tax is in place. For manufacturers, the carbon tax is a game shifter heralding new beginnings but also some losses.
Tim Ayres for the AMWU tells 3Q about the opportunities and challenges to Australia’s clean, green future. Though the Government has committed billions in loans through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation kick-starting a clean technology industry in wind, solar and geothermal will mean putting the right policies in place so that local workers benefit.
Do we need foreign workers?
Rita Mallia speaks of the importance of unemployed locals getting the first pick of mining jobs as well as her union’s proud multicultural ethos.
Importing foreign workers has rocketed during the mining boom. Last year almost 90,000 workers were employed under 457 visa grants allowing them to stay and work in Australia for up to four years. The number of visas granted is up nearly 50 per cent on last year.
Since Gina RInehart received permission to bring in 1700 workers for her Roy Hill mine and the subsequent uproar, a Resources Jobs Board has been created.
The CFMEU’s Rita Mallia tells 3Q 60,000 people have already visited the website — putting paid to claims that Australians don’t want to do remote mining work.
Job security
Q. How concerned are you that you or some member of your immediate family will lose their job in the next year or so: very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not at all concerned?
|
|
8 Jun 09 |
5 Oct 09 |
28 Jun 10 |
18 Oct 10 |
4 Apr 11 |
4 Jul 11 |
3 Oct 11 |
26 Mar 12 |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
| Total concerned |
52% |
49% |
43% |
40% |
43% |
45% |
47% |
49% |
43% |
55% |
34% |
| Very concerned |
13% |
14% |
9% |
11% |
11% |
13% |
14% |
13% |
9% |
16% |
8% |
| Somewhat concerned |
39% |
35% |
34% |
29% |
32% |
32% |
33% |
36% |
34% |
39% |
26% |
| Not at all concerned |
35% |
40% |
38% |
42% |
43% |
39% |
37% |
36% |
44% |
31% |
51% |
| Don’t know |
6% |
6% |
12% |
10% |
8% |
8% |
7% |
8% |
6% |
7% |
9% |
| No employees in the immediate family |
8% |
5% |
7% |
7% |
7% |
7% |
7% |
7% |
7% |
6% |
6% |
Concern over job security has risen slightly since the last time the question was polled, increasing 2 points up from 47% in October 2011 to 49% (total concerned).
In the 12 months from April 2011, total concern has increased from 43% to 49%.
Coalition voters are the most likely to be concerned that they or a member of their immediately family will lose their job in the next year or so (55% total concerned), whereas Greens voters are less likely to be concerned (34% total concerned).
There were no major differences across income or age groups – except for the under 25’s where 41% were concerned and 48% not at all concerned.
Taking Sick Days
Q. Which of the following apply to you over the last 12 months?
|
Total |
Men |
Women |
Aged 18-34 |
Aged 35-54 |
Aged 55+ |
|
| I have taken a sickie (that is, a day off work when you weren’t really sick) |
23% |
23% |
22% |
30% |
21% |
8% |
| I have taken a day off sick without a doctor’s certificate |
51% |
49% |
52% |
55% |
53% |
34% |
| I have taken a day off sick with a doctor’s certificate |
47% |
49% |
44% |
49% |
49% |
33% |
| I have gone to work when I was sick |
81% |
83% |
78% |
83% |
82% |
70% |
* based of those who worked in paid employment over the last 12 months
More than three times as many respondents said that, over the last 12 months, they had worked when they were sick than had taken a “sickie”. 81% said they had gone to work when they were sick and 23% said they had taken a day off work when they weren’t really sick.
Men (83%) were a little more likely than women (78%) to go to work when they were sick.
Those aged under 35 were a little more likely to take a “sickie” (30%) but were also more likely to go to work when they were sick (83%).
Older respondents seem to be less likely to get sick at all – 70% said they had worked when sick – and only 34% had taken a day off with a doctor’s certificate and 33% without a doctor’s certificate.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
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Two Party Preferred: 14 May 2019
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