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  • Oct, 2021

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    Federal government’s role in increasing employment and jobs

    Q. Which of the following is closer to your view of the federal government’s role in relation to employment and jobs?

      Total Gender Age Group Federal Voting Intention
    Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ Labor TOTAL: Coalition Greens TOTAL: Other
    The federal government’s role is to reduce taxes and red tape so businesses can employ more workers 35% 42% 29% 34% 35% 36% 30% 44% 31% 38%
    The federal government’s role is to invest behind local industries to create more jobs 44% 44% 43% 40% 43% 47% 49% 42% 48% 46%
    Unsure 21% 14% 28% 26% 22% 18% 21% 14% 21% 16%
    Base (n) 1,781 875 906 533 601 647 636 610 157 220
    • More people think the federal government’s role is to invest behind local industries to create more jobs than to reduce taxes and red tape so businesses can employ more workers (44% to 35%). 21% are unsure on their preferred role.
    • Men are more likely than women to think the federal government’s role is to reduce taxes and red tape so businesses can employ more workers (42% to 29%).
    • Coalition voters are also more likely to agree with this viewpoint than all other voters combined (44% to 32% respectively).
  • May, 2020

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    Employment and Job prospects – Long-term unemployed

    Q. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about looking for work when the Covid-19 restrictions are eased?

    THOSE WHO WERE UNEMPLOYED BEFORE COVID-19 AND WILL BE LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT ONCE RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED (n=135)

      TOTAL:

    Agree

    TOTAL: Disagree Strongly agree Somewhat agree Neither agree, nor disagree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
    I’m confident I’ll be able to find a well-paying job in my field at my level of experience 29% 43% 6% 23% 28% 21% 22%
    I’m confident there will be many appropriate jobs for me 25% 45% 6% 19% 31% 21% 24%
    • 43% of people who were unemployed before the Covid-19 outbreak disagree that they’ll be able to find a well-paying job in their field at their level of experience and 45% disagree there will be appropriate jobs for them.
  • May, 2020

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    Employment and Job prospects – Recently unemployed

    Q. Once the Covid-19 outbreak is over and restrictions are eased, how long do you think it will be before you are back in paid work?

    THOSE WHO LOST WORK DUE TO COVID-19 (n=134)

      TOTAL
    I don’t think I’ll find paid work again 10%
    I think it will take a long time for me to find paid work 36%
    I don’t think I’ll be back straight away but I’m confident I’ll find paid work fairly quickly 36%
    I’ll be back in paid work straight away 18%
    I won’t be looking for paid work after the restrictions are eased 1%
    Base (n) 134
    • Less than one in five of those who have been made unemployed since Covid-19 think they’ll be back in work straight away (18%).
    • 36% think it will take them a long time to find paid work and 10% think they may not find paid work again.
  • May, 2020

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    Employment and Job prospects – Employed

    Q. To what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements about work after the Covid-19 outbreak?

    THOSE WHO ARE STILL IN EMPLOYMENT (n=488)

      TOTAL:

    Agree

    TOTAL: Disagree Strongly agree Somewhat agree Neither agree, nor disagree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
    I’m confident I’ll receive a pay rise soon after things are back to normal 21% 50% 6% 16% 28% 24% 27%
    I’m confident I’ll be able to get a promotion if I want one 22% 44% 6% 16% 34% 22% 22%
    I don’t think my wages will keep up with increases in the cost of living 48% 19% 17% 31% 33% 13% 6%
    • There is low optimism for wage growth following Covid-19. Just 21% agree (strongly/somewhat) that they expect a pay rise soon after things are back to normal and 22% expect to be able to gain a promotion.
    • Around half of people (48%) don’t think their wages will keep up with increases in the cost of living.
  • May, 2020

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    Attitude towards Australia first hiring

    Q. Last weekend Kristina Kenneally, a NSW senator, called for the federal government to reduce the number of temporary migrant worker visas permitted after the Covid-19 outbreak. She argues that Australian businesses should prioritise training and hiring Australians for roles, rather than seeking temporary workers to fill skill-shortages.

    To what extent, do you support or oppose this idea of “Australia first” hiring?

        Gender Age Group
      Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+
    Strongly support 41% 36% 46% 27% 42% 53%
    Somewhat support 26% 28% 23% 25% 26% 25%
    Neither support, nor oppose 21% 21% 21% 30% 24% 10%
    Somewhat oppose 6% 7% 4% 10% 3% 5%
    Strongly oppose 6% 8% 5% 9% 5% 6%
    TOTAL: Support 67% 64% 70% 52% 68% 78%
    TOTAL: Oppose 12% 15% 9% 18% 8% 12%
    Base (n) 1,067 532 535 341 341 385

     

      Federal Voting Intention
    Labor Coalition Greens TOTAL: Other
    Strongly support 41% 44% 23% 61%
    Somewhat support 22% 31% 26% 21%
    Neither support, nor oppose 24% 15% 34% 12%
    Somewhat oppose 7% 4% 7% 4%
    Strongly oppose 6% 5% 10% 2%
    TOTAL: Support 63% 75% 50% 82%
    TOTAL: Oppose 13% 10% 17% 7%
    Base (n) 306 418 86 143
    • Kristina Kenneally’s “Australia first” hiring approach is supported by 67% of participants; women (70%), those over 55 (78%), Coalition (75%) and other party voters (82%) are more likely to support this approach than men (64%), 18-34 year olds (52%) and Greens voters (50%).
  • Mar, 2020

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    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%).
  • Aug, 2014

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    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.

  • Jan, 2013

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    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).

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