Australian jobs, employment, Industrial Relations, investment, job creation
Q. To what extent do you agree that the following measures will improve job creation and investment in Australia?
| Total Agree | Total Disagree | Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know | ||
| Increasing the number of apprenticeships | 88% | 4% | 38% | 50% | 4% | 0% | 7% | |
| Giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development | 79% | 8% | 26% | 53% | 7% | 1% | 12% | |
| Boosting investment in renewable energy technologies | 75% | 11% | 30% | 45% | 8% | 3% | 14% | |
| Requiring companies to use Australian made steel in large infrastructure projects | 73% | 11% | 27% | 46% | 9% | 2% | 15% | |
| Implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business | 57% | 19% | 13% | 44% | 14% | 5% | 24% | |
| Bringing back tariffs on products imported from overseas | 52% | 29% | 16% | 36% | 20% | 9% | 19% | |
| Introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people | 41% | 41% | 13% | 28% | 29% | 12% | 18% |
Increasing the number of apprenticeships (88% total agree) is the most popular measure for improving job creation and investment in Australia, followed by giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development (79% total agree) and boosting investment in renewable energy technologies (75%).
Requiring companies to use Australian made steel in large infrastructure projects is also strongly endorsed by respondents (73% total agree).
The least popular measure is introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people (41% total disagree). Asked with a different emphasis, there is significantly less opposition to the suggestion of implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business (19% total disagree).
apprenticeships, Australian jobs, employment, Industrial Relations, investment, renewable energy, Voting intention
Q. To what extent do you agree that the following measures will improve job creation and investment in Australia?
| Total Agree | Total Agree – Labor | Total Agree – Lib/Nat | Total Agree- Greens | ||
| Increasing the number of apprenticeships | 88% | 89% | 91% | 87% | |
| Giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development | 79% | 80% | 83% | 83% | |
| Boosting investment in renewable energy technologies | 75% | 80% | 71% | 88% | |
| Requiring companies to use Australian made steel in large infrastructure projects | 73% | 77% | 77% | 69% | |
| Implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business | 57% | 45% | 75% | 41% | |
| Bringing back tariffs on products imported from overseas | 52% | 52% | 58% | 40% | |
| Introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people | 41% | 26% | 65% | 18% |
Increasing the number of apprenticeships, giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development, and requiring companies to use Australia made steel in large infrastructure projects all receive a consistent level of endorsement across party lines.
Labor voters are more likely to agree with boosting investment in renewable energy technologies (80% total agree) as a measure to improve job creation and investment in Australia, as are Greens voters (88% total agree).
Labor voters are less likely to agree with implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business (45% total agree) and introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people (26% total agree).
Coalition voters are the most likely to agree with the industrial relations reforms, with 75% agreeing with implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business and 65% agreeing with introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people.
employment, Essential Report, Industrial Relations, Polling, productivity
Q. Some business leaders have recently claimed that to increase productivity, industrial relations laws need to be changed to give businesses more flexibility around how they employ workers, including re-introducing individual contracts. Do you agree or disagree?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total agree | 40% | 27% | 59% | 17% |
| Total disagree | 42% | 61% | 24% | 61% |
| Strongly agree | 11% | 6% | 19% | 2% |
| Agree | 29% | 21% | 40% | 15% |
| Disagree | 22% | 29% | 17% | 23% |
| Strongly disagree | 20% | 32% | 7% | 38% |
| Don’t know | 18% | 11% | 17% | 21% |
Opinions about the need for changes to industrial laws to increase productivity were divided. 40% agreed with the need to change IR laws and 42% disagreed. 61% of Labor voters and Greens voters disagreed, while 59% of Liberal/National voters agreed.
Those aged 35-54 tended to disagree (35% agree/47% disagree) while those aged under 35 (40%/34%) and 55+ (48%/42%) were more likely to agree. 46% of full-time workers disagreed and 43% agreed.
EMC, employment, ER, Essential Media, Essential Report, Greens, job loss, job security, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls
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?
| 16 Feb 09 | 27 Apr 09 | 8 Jun 09 | 5 Oct 09 | 18 Jan 10 | 29 Mar 10 | 28 Jun 10 | 18 Oct 10 | 4 April 11 | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total concerned | 62% | 67% | 52% | 49% | 45% | 39% | 43% | 40% | 43% | 39% | 46% | 42% |
| Very concerned | 22% | 24% | 13% | 14% | 12% | 10% | 9% | 11% | 11% | 9% | 12% | 7% |
| Somewhat concerned | 40% | 43% | 39% | 35% | 33% | 29% | 34% | 29% | 32% | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| Not at all concerned | 29% | 23% | 35% | 40% | 40% | 45% | 38% | 42% | 43% | 43% | 44% | 53% |
| Don’t know | 4% | 5% | 6% | 6% | 8% | 7% | 12% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 4% | 2% |
| No employees in the immediate family | 5% | 5% | 8% | 5% | 8% | 9% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 9% | 5% | 3% |
43% were concerned that they or some member of their immediate family will lose their job in the next year or so and 43% were not at all concerned – a net negative movement of 2% since the last survey in June.
Those on higher incomes (40% concerned/54% not concerned for incomes of $1,600+) were more optimistic than those on lower incomes (46% concerned/40% not concerned for incomes of $600-$1,000).
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?
| 16 Feb 09 | 27 Apr 09 | 8 Jun 09 | 5 Oct 09 | 18 Jan 10 | 29 Mar 10 | 28 Jun 10 | |
| Total concerned | 62% | 67% | 52% | 49% | 45% | 39% | 43% |
| Very concerned | 22% | 24% | 13% | 14% | 12% | 10% | 9% |
| Somewhat concerned | 40% | 43% | 39% | 35% | 33% | 29% | 34% |
| Not at all concerned | 29% | 23% | 35% | 40% | 40% | 45% | 38% |
| Don’t know | 4% | 5% | 6% | 6% | 8% | 7% | 12% |
| No employees in the immediate family | 5% | 5% | 8% | 5% | 8% | 9% | 7% |
43% were very or somewhat concerned that someone in their family might lose their job in the next year. This was 4% higher than the March result but lower than previous results over the last 12 months. There were no substantial differences by income. Comments »
Australian jobs, climate change, economy, Education, Election, employment, environment, Health, Housing, immigration, Industrial Relations, Interest rates, population, Security, Terrorism, Voting intention, Water
Q8. Which are the three most important issues in deciding how you would vote at a Federal election? (Number from 1 to 3 where 1 is the most important, 2 the second most important, etc)
| One | Two | Three | Total | Total
25 Jan 10 |
Difference | |
| Management of the economy | 34% | 18% | 10% | 62% | 63% | -1% |
| Ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system | 14% | 20% | 16% | 50% | 48% | +2% |
| Australian jobs and protection of local industries | 8% | 10% | 11% | 29% | 33% | -4% |
| Ensuring a fair taxation system | 5% | 8% | 9% | 22% | 18% | +4% |
| Ensuring a quality education for all children | 3% | 7% | 9% | 19% | 23% | -4% |
| Housing affordability | 6% | 5% | 6% | 17% | 14% | +3% |
| Controlling interest rates | 5% | 5% | 6% | 16% | 15% | +1% |
| Managing population growth | 3% | 4% | 7% | 14% | * | |
| Protecting the environment | 3% | 5% | 5% | 13% | 16% | -3% |
| Political leadership | 5% | 3% | 4% | 12% | 23% | -11% |
| Addressing climate change | 4% | 4% | 4% | 12% | 16% | -4% |
| Fair immigration policies | 3% | 4% | 3% | 10% | * | |
| A fair industrial relations system | 2% | 4% | 3% | 9% | 10% | -1% |
| Ensuring a quality water supply | 2% | 2% | 3% | 7% | 12% | -5% |
| Security and the war on terrorism | 2% | 2% | 3% | 7% | 9% | -2% |
*Not asked in January 2010 poll
62% of people surveyed rate management of the economy is one of their three most important issues, followed by 50% that rate ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system and 29% that rate Australian jobs and protection of local industries as one of their three most important issues.
Only 9% rate a fair industrial relations system as one of their three most important issues and 7% rate security and the war on terrorism and ensuring a quality water supply.
The major change since the previous survey in January, was a drop in the importance of political leadership from 23% to 12%. Ensuring a fairer tax system has risen slightly from 18% to 22%. Comments »
Q. Do you think the salaries of the following occupations are too low, too high or bout right?
| Too high | Too low | About right | Don’t know | |
| CEO’s of large companies | 84% | 2% | 7% | 7% |
| Members of Parliament | 62% | 6% | 24% | 8% |
| Tradesmen | 29% | 16% | 44% | 11% |
| Doctors | 27% | 15% | 46% | 12% |
| Public servants – clerical and admin | 26% | 15% | 44% | 15% |
| Bank customer service staff | 12% | 18% | 47% | 23% |
| Office workers in private companies – clerical and admin | 7% | 24% | 54% | 16% |
| Workers in call centres | 8% | 25% | 42% | 25% |
| Shop sales staff | 3% | 40% | 42% | 14% |
| Teachers | 8% | 45% | 38% | 8% |
| Police | 5% | 55% | 27% | 12% |
| Aged care workers | 2% | 76% | 12% | 10% |
The majority believe that the salaries of CEO’s of large companies (84%) and members of Parliament (62%) are too high.
Occupations where salaries were considered too low were aged care workers (76%), police (55%) and teachers (45%). Comments »
Q. Over the last few years, do you think that the gap between the incomes of richest and poorest people in Australia has increased, decreased or stayed much the same?
| % | |
| Increased | 77% |
| Decreased | 4% |
| Stayed much the same | 13% |
| Don’t know | 6% |
77% believe that the gap between the incomes of richest and poorest people in Australia has increased over the last few years.
Older respondents were more likely to think the gap had increased – 88% of those aged 55+ compared to 58% of those aged 18-35.
There were no significant differences by voting intention. Comments »