<p>A landmark former orphanage site in Surrey Hills could be transformed into a new residential community under plans lodged by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/antipodean-land-developments">Antipodean Land Developments</a> that would deliver 76 apartments and townhouses while restoring some of the suburb's most significant heritage buildings.</p>

<p>The burgeoninng Melbourne-based developer has submitted plans for the 9,158 sqm site at 1 Kent Road and 24 Durham Road, home to the former St Joseph's Home for Destitute Children, a historic institutional complex dating back to the late 19th century. The proposal seeks to adaptively reuse several heritage buildings while introducing two new four-storey residential buildings set within extensive landscaped grounds.</p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a> and Kerstin Thompson Architects, the project has been conceived as a contemporary residential village embedded within a restored heritage precinct. The development team describes the design approach as "The Village in the Garden," with new buildings positioned among mature landscaping by OCULUS and significant heritage structures.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="44ec8c1b-c0b6-44ae-859e-5811b3e6a023" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29.png?VersionId=p.p1_KFh4iQoV4nisdnPfQBAsWNi7m79" /></p>

<p>The proposal would deliver 76 dwellings comprising a mix of apartments and duplex-style residences, significantly increasing housing supply on one of the largest privately held residential landholdings in Surrey Hills. The development includes 127 car spaces, 24 bicycle spaces and more than 1,000 sqm of communal amenity, with the existing chapel building earmarked for conversion into resident facilities.</p>

<p>According to the planning submission, the project centres on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the site's most significant heritage assets, including the original c.1889 St Joseph's building, the chapel designed by architect Augustus Andrew Fritsch, and the historic brick perimeter walls and entry gates. The proposal also incorporates the retention of other contributory buildings including the former infirmary and school building.</p>

<p>Tract Consultants, in the planning report accompanying the application, said the scheme had been shaped through extensive heritage analysis and design development.</p>

<p>"The shared vision for the Site by the project team has culminated in a scheme which successfully breathes life back into a historic site while delivering upon the objectives of Victoria's Housing Statement in a carefully curated and contextually responsive manner."</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7263b7d8-95ea-400f-9531-6ca7d22c3c33" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%282%29.png?VersionId=4cR1tiWOsDpgxEOwZi5vVFcyvvOsYkIE" /></p>

<p>The proposal is being assessed under Victoria's Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing pathway. As part of the application, three per cent of the project's residential development cost would be contributed to the Social Housing Growth Fund. The development would also provide a diverse mix of one, two and three-bedroom residences targeting a broader range of buyers than typically found in Surrey Hills' detached housing market.</p>

<p>Sustainability initiatives include an anticipated 66 per cent BESS score, natural cross-ventilation to 80 per cent of apartments, 28 per cent deep soil landscaping and a canopy cover outcome exceeding local planning requirements. The proposal also sets aside more than 1,083 sqm for communal indoor and outdoor resident amenity spaces.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="33fad46f-fe26-4d0a-acfd-6b776e1c6a3d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Untitled%20design.png?VersionId=D9F6WVSyYCtGvSUmith35LRp6R7PQkw_" /></p>

<p>Planning documents describe the property as one of the largest underutilised residential sites in Surrey Hills, arguing it presents a rare opportunity to introduce "missing middle" housing in an established inner-eastern suburb while preserving and revitalising a significant heritage precinct.</p>

<p>Antipodean Land Developments has built a reputation for design-focused residential projects across Melbourne, particularly in the medium-density sector. Previous developments include Neighbourhood in Brunswick East, delivered with Breathe Architecture, and Balfe Park Lane, designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects.</p>

<p>They've been very active in site acquisition as they build out their future development pipeline. They recently launched Thornubury House, 45 apartments above a mix of commercial, retail, and food and beverage tenancies, and have plans for a boutique project in Fitzroy and another <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/vic/antipodean-plan-apartments-for-deepdenes-missing-middle-on-whitehorse-road">"missing middle" project</a> on Deepdene's Whitehorse Road.</p>


Joel Robinson

First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills

<p>Developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/auyin-property-development">Auyin</a> is the latest to turn to the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program in an effort to secure approval for its long-planned, mixed-use project in Elsternwick.</p>

<p>In 2018, Auyin lodged plans with Glen Eira City Council for a 14-storey building, however Council approved a reduced eight-storey scheme. A subsequent VCAT appeal in 2019 upheld the eight-storey height limit.</p>

<p>The project was later amended to nine storeys, but Auyin is now seeking to revive something closer to its original vision. The developer argues that the planning context has evolved significantly over the past decade, particularly within the Elsternwick Activity Centre, where higher-density development has increasingly been encouraged along Glen Huntly Road.</p>

<p>The proposal would transform the 1,239 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/7-12-horne-street-elsternwick-vic-3185">7-15 Horne Street</a>, opposite Elsternwick Railway Station, into a 13-storey residential and retail development designed by CBG Architects, with 40 apartments</p>

<p>The site currently comprises three commercial properties.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: 13-storey mixed-use tower planned for Elsternwick activity centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5f465dd4-509b-4082-a669-0253b313914b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/elsternwick%20podium.png?VersionId=72frWi0SmQ5AVJ3ARRhX5ILUYObhTm7x" /></p>

<p>The proposed apartment mix comprises 25 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom residences above 200 sqm of retail space at ground level. Residents would have access to a 90 sqm wellness facility, a 351 sqm communal indoor and outdoor terrace on the third level, and extensive landscaped areas throughout the development. A publicly accessible 135 sqm plaza would be created on the north-east corner of the site, providing seating, landscaping, and a new gathering space adjoining Horne Street.</p>

<p>The design adopts a four-storey podium that references the finer-grain character of the surrounding streetscape, with the upper tower recessed behind generous setbacks on all boundaries.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: 13-storey mixed-use tower planned for Elsternwick activity centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e637e763-2abc-4c34-a0aa-5c7ad36fae18" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/elsternwick%20open.png?VersionId=J1AoOpZgTyaF.KeeFSX6lMjEScX8KKRi" /></p>

<p>A key element of the proposal is the reconfiguration and widening of the surrounding laneways. Vehicle access would be retained from Lois Lane, with upgraded pedestrian connections linking Ross Street and Horne Street. The development would provide 58 residential car spaces, two retail car spaces, and 52 bicycle spaces across two basement levels and ground-floor facilities.</p>

<p>Architecturally, the building draws inspiration from the established character of Elsternwick Village. The façade combines dark charcoal brickwork, textured concrete, bronze-toned metal detailing, and extensive planting integrated into podium and tower levels. The design also incorporates a chamfered corner treatment and publicly accessible plaza intended to strengthen pedestrian activity around the station precinct.</p>

<p>Elsternwick's last new development completion was&nbsp;EVA Elsternwick by Pitard late last year. <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/milieu-property">Milieu</a> is working away on its nature-led neighbourhood, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/elsternwick-gardens-by-milieu-8-gordon-street-elsternwick-vic-3185">Elsternwick Gardens</a>, on Gordon Street, with its first stage expected to complete next year.</p>


First look: Auyin seeks mixed-use apartment project in growing Elsternwick Activity Centre

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/otium-parkdale-123-125-como-parade-east-parkdale-vic-3195">Otium Parkdale</a>, the 13-residence boutique development by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/huxtable-property">Huxtable Property</a>, has entered its final stages of delivery, with completion expected within the coming month and more than half of the residences sold.</p>

<p>The Como Parade East project is nearing the finish line at a time when opportunities to purchase new apartments in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/parkdale-vic-3195">Parkdale</a> remain exceptionally limited. Fewer than 10 per cent of dwellings in the bayside suburb are apartments, making developments like Otium a relatively rare addition to a market traditionally dominated by detached housing.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134974 project_image_fid=5427]</p>

<p>The three-level development comprises 13 residences, including ten two-bedroom apartments and three larger three-bedroom homes, all positioned above a secure basement car park.</p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/almeida-architects">Almeida Architects</a> with a strong connection to its coastal surroundings, Otium combines red brick, exposed concrete and dark metal detailing with integrated landscaping and greenery. Expansive glazing, generous balconies and terraces have been incorporated throughout the design to maximise natural light and reinforce indoor-outdoor living.</p>

<p>Inside, the residences feature engineered European oak flooring, natural and reconstituted stone benchtops, Bosch kitchen appliances, ducted heating and cooling, lift access and secure entry systems. The larger three-bedroom residences on the upper level have been designed with house-like proportions, while the two-bedroom apartments prioritise functionality, flexibility and low-maintenance living.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=134974 project_image_fid=5421]</p>

<p>The project is now in its final stages, with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/labco">Labco</a> completing the remaining landscaping and external finishing works following the completion of the residences' interiors.</p>

<p>Otium's location within the heart of Parkdale continues to underpin its appeal. Residents will be just steps from local cafés, restaurants, shops and the newly elevated Parkdale Station, while the beach is less than a kilometre away.</p>

<p>With the project tracking ahead of schedule, buyers can currently secure a residence with a five per cent deposit and benefit from settlement terms of up to eight months. The advanced stage of construction also provides buyers with the opportunity to walk through the near-complete residences and experience the quality and finishes firsthand ahead of completion.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134974]</p>


Otium Parkdale enters final month before completion as rare apartment opportunity nears sellout

<p>A new boutique apartment development is entering the market in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/chermside-qld-4032">Chermside</a>, with Brisbane-based developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/ausdev">Ausdev</a> bringing 33 residences to a well-connected pocket of Brisbane's north.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/parkdrive-apartments-chermside-25-sammells-drive-chermside-qld-4032">Parkdrive Apartments</a>, at 25 Sammells Drive, will comprise a mix of one- and two-bedroom residences positioned within walking distance of Westfield Chermside, The Prince Charles Hospital, and Bradbury Park.</p>

<p>Established in 1989, Ausdev has a long-standing presence across both development and construction, with Parkdrive Apartments representing its latest residential project in Brisbane's northern suburbs.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=152125 project_image_fid=363778]</p>

<p>The development has been designed around open-plan living and natural light, with residences featuring stone benchtops, timber cabinetry, BOSCH appliances, and private balconies that extend the living areas outdoors.</p>

<p>Kitchens are positioned as the centrepiece of the homes, incorporating natural material palettes and integrated appliances, while bathrooms have been designed with a focus on functionality and understated finishes.</p>

<p>Residents will have access to a communal barbecue and entertaining area on Level 3, providing shared outdoor space within the development. Secure parking and lift access are also incorporated into the building.</p>

<p>The project will deliver a limited collection of 33 apartments, with one-bedroom residences priced from $749,000.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=152125 project_image_fid=363782]</p>

<p>Beyond the building itself, the location places residents within easy reach of several of Chermside's key amenities. Bradbury Park is around 350 metres away, while Westfield Chermside is approximately 1.3 kilometres from the site. The Prince Charles Hospital is located within 750 metres, and the Chermside Bus Interchange is around 1.5 kilometres away, providing connections across Brisbane.</p>

<p>Parkdrive Apartments adds to the growing residential pipeline in Chermside, a suburb that continues to evolve as a major retail, healthcare, and transport hub for Brisbane's north.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152125]</p>


Ausdev introduces boutique Parkdrive Apartments to Chermside's growing centre

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/skymark-group">Skymark</a>'s boutique Cronulla development Solis has secured a 10-year Latent Defects Insurance policy through Resilience Insurance, providing buyers of the 16-residence building on Ewos Parade with structural and waterproofing protection that extends a decade beyond the building's completion.</p>

<p>Currently under construction and due for completion in late 2027, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/solis-cronulla-8-ewos-parade-cronulla-nsw-2230">Solis</a> is one of a small number of new developments in the Sutherland Shire to carry Resilience LDI coverage, a distinction that carries increasing weight as buyer confidence in the off-the-plan sector continues to be shaped by how developers stand behind their product.</p>

<p>Latent Defects Insurance, which entered the Australian market in 2022 when Resilience Insurance was approved to offer the cover, protects buyers against major structural or waterproofing defects for ten years post-completion. Unlike traditional statutory warranties, it operates as a first-resort policy, if a covered defect arises, the insurer responds directly, without the buyer needing to pursue the builder or developer through a lengthy claims process.</p>

<p>Resilience Insurance CEO Corey Nugent has noted that the product addresses something fundamental to the new apartment market.</p>

<p>"The overarching feedback from prospective buyers in the new development space is that they want more confidence and assurances around the quality of the build," Nugent says.</p>

<p>"Resilience Insurance Latent Defects Insurance not only gives them complete peace of mind for 10 years, but it shows the developer they are buying from is standing by their product."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150499 project_image_fid=370898]</p>

<p>For Solis, the Resilience LDI policy adds a meaningful layer of accountability to an already considered project. The development comprises nine two-bedroom and seven three-bedroom residences, including one dual-level three-bedroom apartment, across a five-storey building on Ewos Parade, positioned between Shelly Beach and South Cronulla.</p>

<p>Garden apartments connect directly to private landscaped courtyards, while upper-level homes capture beach views to the east from level four and above.&nbsp;</p>

<p>All 16 residences include at least one balcony or courtyard, and select apartments on the upper floors feature bar areas and secondary flexible living spaces.</p>

<p>Hiba Sander, Managing Director of Skymark, says Solis offers a rare balance, nestled between the quiet beauty of secluded beaches and the lively charm of South Cronulla's esplanade.</p>

<p>"It's a place to choose your pace and live gracefully, seaside'," Sander says.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150499 project_image_fid=370900]</p>

<p>The architecture, designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ida-design-group">IDA Design Group</a>'s Michael Trinh, draws from the natural erosion patterns of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/cronulla-nsw-2230">Cronulla</a>'s sandstone headlands, translating the organic forms of the coastline into soft curves, pavilion-style massing, and a material palette chosen for longevity in a salt-tinged environment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Textured natural stone, soft renders, and timber-look battens reference the tones of the surrounding cliffs, while the building has been oriented to maximise natural light and passive ventilation, with primary living spaces facing north and east to capture morning sun and sea breezes.</p>

<p>"At Solis, our aim was to create architecture that feels quietly confident, grounded in natural materials like stone and timber, and elevated by light and landscape," Trinh says.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The buildings are designed to sit gently within their coastal surrounds, with expansive glazing and abundant greenery creating a seamless dialogue between inside and out."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150499 project_image_fid=370897]</p>

<p>Interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hot-black">Hot Black</a> carry the same material language through to every room. Kitchens feature integrated Gaggenau appliances, sculpted stone benchtops, and Lo &amp; Co joinery, while bathrooms feature natural stone, timber, and brushed metal finishes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hot Black Founder and Design Director Sophie Safrin describes the intent as one of considered restraint: "At Solis, every detail has been thoughtfully considered to create a timeless coastal retreat, calm, refined, and effortlessly liveable. From natural finishes to seamless indoor-outdoor flow, Solis offers a quiet elegance that's deeply connected to its surroundings.</p>

<p>The landscape, designed by Julian Brady of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/sitedesignstudios">Site Design Studios</a>, treats green space as an integral part of the resident experience rather than an afterthought.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Gentle curves and layered native plantings mirror the ebb and flow of the ocean," Julian Brady says, "creating a serene connection between architecture and place."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Coco Republic has provided bespoke furniture packages tailored to the project's coastal palette.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150499 project_image_fid=370899]</p>

<p>Skymark has an established track record in the Sutherland Shire, with a portfolio spanning Cronulla, Woolooware and Burraneer that includes Isla, Sylva, Bask, Shells, Sula and Mist. Securing LDI on Solis reflects a broader shift in how the developer is positioning its buildings to buyers, at a time when Resilience Insurance expects the policy to become mandatory in New South Wales by 2028.</p>

<p>Sales at Solis are launching soon through Ray White Projects, with an official event scheduled for 11 June. Enquire for more information.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150499]</p>


Skymark takes out 10-year Resilience Insurance LDI at Solis Cronulla

Job Market

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<p><strong>EXPERT OBSERVATION</strong></p>
<p><strong>Labour force</strong></p>
<p>Employment rose for the 33rd time in 34 months, up by 41,100 jobs in July after a revised 2,400 fall in jobs in June (previously reported as an increase of 500 jobs).</p>
<p>Full-time jobs rose by 34,500 with part-time jobs up by 6,700. Economists had tipped an increase in total jobs of around 14,000.</p>
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<div class="column">Hours worked rose 0.5 per cent in July to be up 2.0 per cent over the year. In trend terms, hours worked were up 1.8 per cent on the year.</div>
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<div class="column">The unemployment rate was steady at 5.2 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms. In trend terms the jobless rate rose by less than 0.1 percent to 5.3 per cent.</div>
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<div class="column">The participation rate rose to a record-high 66.1 per cent in July. In trend terms, the participation rate rose from 66.0 per cent in June to a record high of 66.1 per cent in July.</div>
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<div class="column">Unemployment across states in July: NSW 4.4 per cent (June 4.6 per cent); Victoria 4.8 per cent (4.8 per cent); Queensland 6.4 per cent (6.5 per cent); South Australia 6.9 per cent (6.0 per cent); Western Australia 5.9 per cent (5.7 per cent); Tasmania 6.0 per cent (6.8 per cent). In trend terms, Northern Territory 4.9 per cent (4.8 per cent); ACT 3.5 per cent (3.5 per cent).</div>
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<div class="column">Average weekly earnings: Average weekly earnings rose by 3.1 per cent in the year to May 2019 – the fastest rate in six years. The average annual wage stands at $85,009.60.</div>
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<div class="column">Overseas arrivals: Tourist arrivals fell by 3.0 per cent in June while departures fell by 2.3 per cent.</div>
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<div class="column">A raft of companies is affected by the employment data but especially those dependent on consumer spending. Amongst stocks affected are Nine Entertainment, West Australian Newspapers, Seek Limited and McMillan Shakespeare.</div>
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<div class="column"><strong>What does it all mean?</strong></div>
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<p>What is the definition of a strong job market? We would contend that it is one where employment is rising, more people are participating in the job market and where the jobless rate remains historically low. Australia has a strong job market.</p>
<p>While the jobless rate in Australia is higher than the US, UK and New Zealand, in Australia job growth remains strong and more people are drawing down a wage.</p>
<p>Retailers want to see more people with jobs because that converts to more opportunities to sell their goods and services. </p>
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<p>It is always important to remember that indicators like employment and the unemployment rate reflect decisions made by businesses as much as six months ago.</p>
<p>Simply, the hiring process takes time – from the decision to hire, the advertising and interview process, and then the time it takes for the successful candidate to start work.</p>
<p>And the environment 5-6 months ago – before the Federal Election – was far different to today – a lot softer.</p>
<p>In the past two months, job ads have lifted, pointing to even stronger employment ahead.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2019/8/15/commsec%201.jpg" target="_blank">Click here</a> to enlarge: </p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/8/15/commsec%201.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The Reserve Bank doesn’t expect much improvement in the jobless rate over the remainder of 2019. So it will take falls in the jobless rate to prompt the RBA to back off rate cuts.</p>
<p>Reserve Bank forecasts assume a quarter per cent rate cut to be delivered late in 2019 and another cut of same size earlier in 2020.  </p>
<p>Unfortunately for the Reserve Bank, the jobs data is a ‘lagging indicator’. So it will need to be confident that more timely data, like the monthly business survey, is pointing to firmer employment ahead.</p>
<p>Another key question is how far away is the peak in the workforce participation rate.</p>
<p>If solid employment continues and the participation rate doesn’t rise in turn, the jobless rate has a chance of falling, meaning that spare capacity in the economy is being reduced. </p>
<p>The ‘problem’ – if we can call it that – is that more people are getting jobs and more people are coming into the workforce to take up the new positions.</p>
<p>So spare capacity remains. But the employment pie continues to get bigger, and that is important for retailers and government tax coffers.</p>
<p>In NSW, Victoria, Northern Territory and the ACT, jobless rates are below 5 per cent. In other states, jobless rates are around 6.0-7.0 per cent.</p>
<p>In-roads need to occur outside the main states if the Reserve Bank is to achieve the goal of a jobless rate near 4.5 per cent. And arguably this means greater use of fiscal policy, not monetary policy.</p>
<p><strong>What do the figures show? </strong></p>
<p>Employment rose for the 33<sup>rd</sup> time in 34 months, up by 41,100 jobs in July after a revised 2,400 fall in jobs in June (previously reported as an increase of 500 jobs). Full-time jobs rose by 34,500 with part-time jobs up by 6,700. Economists had tipped an increase in total jobs of around 14,000. </p>
<p>Annual job growth rose from 2.4 per cent to 2.6 per cent in July (decade average 1.7 per cent).</p>
<p>Hours worked rose 0.5 per cent in July to be up 2.0 per cent over the year. In trend terms, hours worked were up 1.8 per cent on the year.</p>
<p>The unemployment rate was steady at 5.2 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms. In trend terms the jobless rate rose by less than 0.1 percent to 5.3 per cent. </p>
<p>The participation rate rose to a record-high 66.1 per cent in July. In trend terms, the participation rate rose from 66.0 per cent in June to a record high of 66.1 per cent in July. </p>
<p>Unemployment across states in July: NSW 4.4 per cent (June 4.6 per cent); Victoria 4.8 per cent (4.8 per cent); Queensland 6.4 per cent (6.5 per cent); South Australia 6.9 per cent (6.0 per cent); Western Australia 5.9 per cent (5.7 per cent); Tasmania 6.0 per cent (6.8 per cent). In trend terms, Northern Territory 4.9 per cent (4.8 per cent); ACT 3.5 per cent (3.5 per cent).</p>
<p>In seasonally adjusted terms, the largest increases in employment were in Queensland (up 19,900 persons), New South Wales (up 13,000 persons), and Victoria (up 3,600 persons). The largest decrease was in Western Australia (down 4,200 persons).</p>
<p>The working age population rose by 34,400 in July to 20.62 million. Over the year, the working age population rose by 360,900 – a near decade high – or 1.78 per cent. But this is still down from the record 2.36 per cent annual growth in December 2008.</p>
<p>The monthly trend underemployment rate remained steady at 8.4 per cent. The monthly underutilisation rate remained steady at 13.6 per cent.</p>
<p>The monthly seasonally adjusted underemployment rate increased 0.2 pts to 8.4 per cent. The monthly underutilisation rate increased 0.2 pts to 13.6 per cent.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2019/8/15/commsec%202.jpg" target="_blank">Click here </a>to enlarge: </p>
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<p><strong><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/8/15/commsec%203.jpg" alt=""></strong></p>
<p><strong>Why is the data important?</strong></p>
<p><span>The Labour Force estimates are derived from a monthly survey conducted by the Bureau of Statistics. </span></p>
<p><span>The population survey is based on a multi-stage area sample of private dwellings (currently about 22,800 houses, flats, etc.) and a sample of non-private dwellings (hotels, motels, etc.). </span></p>
<p><span>The survey covers about 0.24 per cent of the population of Australia and includes all people over 15 years of age, except defence personnel.</span></p>
<p><span>If more people are employed, then there is greater spending power in the economy. But at the same time companies may adjust the work hours of employees.</span></p>
<p><span> If employees work less hours, and therefore get paid less, then spending power in the economy is reduced.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2019/8/15/commsec%205.jpg" target="_blank">Click here</a> to enlarge: </p>
<p><span><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/8/15/commsec%205.jpg" alt=""></span></p>
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<p><strong>What are the implications?</strong></p>
<p>Employment growth again exceeded implications in July. ‘Normal’ annual job growth is around 1.7 per cent. In July, job growth was 2.6 per cent. That means more people with money to spend. And that benefits a raft of businesses. </p>
<p>In the past decade, 4.9 per cent was the lowest jobless rate recorded. So a jobless rate of 5.2 per cent is clearly a “good” outcome.</p>
<p>The Reserve Bank believes that we can do even better. So rates can fall again to speed the economy up and create more jobs.</p>
<p>Commonwealth Bank Group economists tip a quarter of a per cent rate cut in both November and February 2020.</p>
<p>The lift in job creation is important for business sales and profitability. So the latest outcome is positive for the sharemarket.</p>
<p>Not only are jobs being created, wages continue to outpace inflation. Average weekly earnings grew by 3.1 per cent over the past year – the fastest rate in six years.</p>
<p>Female wages are up 3.6 per cent over the year with male wages up 3.0 per cent. Female wages have exceeded male wages over the past five years.</p>
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Australia's strong jobless rate is a good outcome: Craig James 

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<p>The COAG meeting of state and territory leaders with the Prime Minister presents a golden opportunity to bring the VET sector back into the frame of Australia’s education system.</p>
<p>Vocational education and trade training must receive the same recognition as other education pathways.</p>
<p>The VET sector has always underpinned the delivery of a skilled trade workforce in Australia.</p>
<p>It is vital for Australia’s residential building industry that governments come together and heed the warnings of industry and business regarding the challenges facing the VET sector, to reach a cooperative agreement on reforming and improving the VET sector.</p>
<p>For too long our VET sector has been regarded by both governments and communities as being inferior to the university sector. Nothing could be further from the truth.</p>
<p>Australia needs both sectors to be strong and efficient. Building a career in a skilled trade is just as important an opportunity as building a career as a doctor or a lawyer.</p>
<p>The building industry offers a range of jobs, onsite and offsite, which rely on training being available through both VET and university education.</p>
<p>As pointed out today by NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, there needs to be a holistic approach to tertiary education. Committing to a policy framework where the VET sector is afforded rightful equal status with the university sector is a crucial early step to achieving success.</p>
<p>Vocational Education and Training is on the COAG agenda tomorrow. The Federal Government brings to the table a starting commitment in the form of its $525bn Skills Package announced in the April budget, while the Joyce Review into the VET sector provides a comprehensive foundation for discussion.</p>
<p>In discussing the challenges facing the VET sector a cooperative strategy and way forward needs to emerge from the COAG meeting. From there government consultation with industry can create a platform for success in co-designing a refreshed VET sector that provides the residential building industry and the broader economy with the skilled workforce required to match the jobs that need to be filled.</p>
<p>KRISTIN BROOKFIELD is the HIA Chief Executive of Industry Policy</p>
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VET agreement essential to renew focus on trade training: HIA's Kristin Brookfield

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<p>EXPERT OBSERVER</p>
<p>Last month we said that there was seemingly something for everyone in the latest labour force data. And the same conclusion can be made again.</p>
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<p>There was good job growth in the month, albeit focused on part-time jobs.</p>
<p>The jobless rate didn’t budge. But the proportion of working age Aussies in the job market (participation rate) hit record highs.</p>
<p>Admittedly the data covered the election period and that may account for the skew to part-time workers.</p>
<p>Clearly there are temporary jobs created each three years for election-related roles.</p>
<p>A big question for the Reserve Bank is whether it believes that lower interest rates can truly drive the national jobless rate to 4.5 per cent or whether structural factors will impede progress.</p>
<p>NSW, Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory have jobless rates of 4.6 per cent or lower but next best is South Australia at 5.7 per cent.</p>
<p>So the ball is back in the Reserve Bank’s court. We know that interest rates are being driven by the job market.</p>
<p>So does the Reserve Bank follow the June rate cut with another move in July or does it wait a little longer – perhaps August after the late July inflation data?</p>
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<div class="column">We continue to favour August for the next rate cut. There certainly is no rush.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The economy lost momentum late in 2018/early in 2009 due to the US-China trade stoush. Other countries have similarly experienced softer growth.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">Australia has also experienced slower growth in 2019 as both businesses and consumers awaited the election result.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">With a clear election result obtained, the economy should gain pace from here.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The Reserve Bank doesn’t seem to see any barriers to further rate stimulus.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">‘Full employment’ is now defined as a jobless rate near 4.5 per cent. And inflation is set to stay at lower levels for longer.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">That assumption was backed by today’s data showing plunging airfares in June.<br><p>Certainly stimulus is coming from lower interest rates, the minimum wage decision, the upcoming tax cut and some loosening of home lending policy from the regulators.</p>
<p>A lower Aussie dollar is also supporting activity in the economy. Sydney home prices have lifted 0.3 per cent from recent lows with Melbourne prices up 0.2 per cent.</p>
<p><strong>What do the figures show?</strong></p>
Employment rose for the 12th straight month, up by 42,300 in May after a revised 43,100 increase in jobs in April (previously reported as a 28,400 increase in jobs).</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">Full-time jobs rose by 2,400, but part-time jobs rose by 39,800. Economists had tipped an increase in total jobs of around 15,000.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">Annual job growth rose from 2.5 per cent to a 14-month high of 2.9 per cent (decade average 1.7 per cent).<br><p>Hours worked fell by 0.3 per cent in the month to be up 2.1 per cent over the year. In trend terms, hours worked rose 0.2 per cent to be up 2.5 per cent on the year.</p>
The unemployment rate was steady at 5.2 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms. In trend terms the jobless rate was steady at 5.1 per cent.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The participation rate rose from 65.9 per cent to a record high of 66.0 per cent. In trend terms the participation rate rose from 65.8 per cent to a record high of 65.9 per cent.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">Unemployment across states in May: NSW 4.6 per cent (April 4.6 per cent); Victoria 4.6 per cent (4.8 per cent); Queensland 6.2 per cent (5.9 per cent); South Australia 5.7 per cent (6.1 per cent); Western Australia 6.3 per cent (6.1 per cent); Tasmania 6.4 per cent (6.8 per cent). In trend terms, Northern Territory 4.5 per cent (4.5 per cent); ACT 3.9 per cent (3.8 per cent).</div>
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<br>State/Territory jobs: In seasonlly adjusted terms, the largest increase in employment was in New South Wales (up 38,500 persons), followed by Victoria (up 28,600 persons) and Queensland (up 7,800 persons).</div>
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<div class="column">The only decrease were in Western Australia (down 4,000 persons) and Tasmania (down 400 persons)</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The working age population rose by 26,000 in May to 20.56 million.</div>
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<div class="column">Over the year the working age population rose by 356,100 – a 91⁄2-year high – or 1.76 per cent, but this is still down from the record 2.36 per cent annual growth in December 2008.</div>
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<div class="column">The monthly trend underemployment rate increased 0.1pt to 8.5 per cent. The monthly trend underutilisation rate increased 0.1pt to 13.6 per cent.<br><p>The monthly seasonally adjusted underemployment rate increased 0.1pt to 8.6 per cent. The monthly underutilisation rate remained steady at 13.7 per cent.</p>
<p><strong>Domestic airfares</strong></p>
Business class airfares fell by 0.2 per cent in June after falling by 1 per cent in May. Business class airfares are down 9.6 per cent on a year ago – falling at the fastest annual rate in six years.</div>
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<div class="column">And the actual fares stand at the lowest level in four years. In smoothed terms, business class airfares fell by 1.3 per cent in June to be down 9.3 per cent on the year.</div>
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<div class="column">Discount airfares are volatile month-to-month. In June, fares rose by 15.2 per cent after falling by 25.9 per cent in May.</div>
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<div class="column">Discount airfares are down 5.9 per cent over the year to June. In smoothed terms, discount airfares fell by 1.9 per cent in June to be down 3.1 per cent on the year – the biggest fall in the annual growth rate in three years. Fares are the lowest in two years.</div>
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<div class="column">Restricted economy airfares rose by 0.7 per cent in June after falling by 0.5 per cent in May. In smoothed terms, restricted economy fares rose just 0.2 per cent in June to be up by 5.3 per cent on the year.</div>
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<div class="column"><strong>Why is the data important?</strong></div>
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<div class="column">The Labour Force estimates are derived from a monthly survey conducted by the Bureau of Statistics.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The population survey is based on a multi-stage area sample of private dwellings (currently about 22,800 houses, flats, etc.) and a sample of non-private dwellings (hotels, motels, etc.).</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The survey covers about 0.24 per cent of the population of Australia and includes all people over 15 years of age, except defence personnel.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">If more people are employed, then there is greater spending power in the economy. But at the same time companies may adjust the work hours of employees.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">If employees work less hours, and therefore get paid less, then spending power in the economy is reduced.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) releases data on domestic and international aviation each month.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The data is useful in tracking consumer spending and airline performance as well as broader economic activity.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column"><strong>What are the implications?</strong></div>
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<div class="column">CommSec is pencilling in another rate cut for August.</div>
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<div class="column">But we are looking for significant debate about whether there is value in cutting rates much further.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The southeastern corner of Australia is arguably at or near full-employment. But there is a huge gap to the other states.</div>
<div class="column"> </div>
<div class="column">The Reserve Bank Governor has a super-important speech in a week’s time: “The Labour Market and Spare Capacity”. Aussies will be hanging on every word.</div>
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<p><span><em>Craig James is the chief economist at <a href="https://www.comsec.com.au/default.aspx" target="_blank">CommSec</a>.</em> </span></p>
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Australia's two-speed job market: CommSec's Craig James

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<p>The unemployment rate is 4.9%, but the underemployment rate is 8.1%.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>This is the third in a three-part mini-symposium on Wages, Unemployment and Underemployment presented by The Conversation and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Read the other pieces in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/assa-symposium-67964" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>
<p>For the moment, Australia’s unemployment rate has a “4” in front of it. The rate for February, released on Thursday, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0" target="_blank">came in at 4.9%</a>. It’s the first time the rate has begun with a four since the Rudd/Gillard government when it dipped below 5% several times, and since the Howard and Rudd governments in the leadup the global financial crisis when it usually began with a four and at one point dipped to 3.9%.</p>
<p>It’d be good news were it not for another, almost as important, indicator - the underemployment rate.</p>
<p>Workers are underemployed when they are working fewer hours than they want to. They might be working part-time instead of full-time, or part-time for 10 hours a week instead of 20, or full-time at 35 hours instead of 40.</p>
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<p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265049/original/file-20190321-93051-e32m42.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""><span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0" target="_blank">ABS Labour Force</a></span></p>
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<p>Over the past five years the proportion of the workforce underemployed has climbed from 7.2% to 8.1% while the unemployment rate has climbed from 5.2%, then fallen, hitting 4.9%.</p>
<p>The underemployed are disproportionately women (60%), and are concentrated in the retail, health care and hospitality industries. Their jobs are more likely to be insecure, with inadequate hours often accompanied by unpredictable or uncertain hours.</p>
<p>They are in industries that have seen growth in temporary migrant workers and the systematic underpayment of workers, reflecting changes in the temporary visa system as well as <a href="https://doi.org/10.20851/wages-crisis-04" target="_blank">weaknesses in the enforcement of wage laws</a>.</p>
<p>Wages are the other side of the bad news. No one who has made a regular appearance at the plethora of parliamentary inquiries that have accompanied the rewriting of Australia’s industrial relations system over the past 23 years would be surprised that wage growth is bumping along at historic lows.</p>
<p>The reworked industrial relations system - and the social, cultural, economic and labour market context in which it sits - has reshaped power at work. Wave after wave of change has had the end result of shifting power to employers. And it is that change in power that, more than anything, explains the stalling of wages growth.</p>
<p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265055/original/file-20190321-93060-qtde5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265055/original/file-20190321-93060-qtde5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> <span class="caption">Open letter in Tuesday’s Financial Review.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://ppesydney.net/open-letter-on-the-benefits-of-promoting-faster-wage-growth/" target="_blank">AFR</a></span></p>
<p>As 124 labour market experts said in their <a href="http://ppesydney.net/open-letter-on-the-benefits-of-promoting-faster-wage-growth/" target="_blank">open letter in support of wages growth</a> published in the Australian Financial Review this week, we are witnessing the longest sustained rate of slow wage growth since the end of the Second World War.</p>
<p>It certainly isn’t the result of falling productivity, which has actually climbed 39% in the past two decades while real wages have climbed only 14%.</p>
<p>The feminisation of employment has also helped shift the power balance at work. Women’s share of the total workforce climbed from 43% to 47% between 1999 and 2019.</p>
<p>Research in many countries tells us that women are no less inclined to join a union and have no less an appetite to improve their working conditions than men. However, women’s caring responsibilities and the practical demands they face, along with the nature of the industries in which they work, often make it harder for them to bargain or to take industrial action.</p>
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<p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265052/original/file-20190321-93044-12f77y7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265052/original/file-20190321-93044-12f77y7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6345.0" target="_blank">ABS wage price index</a></span></p>
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<p>Analysts focus on the causes of this historic wages stall. Reserve Bank Governors caution about its consequences for the economy. But in thousands of households across Australia, a five-year stall in wages growth exacts a high human cost. It particularly affects those already on low pay, for whom a few dollars a week mean the difference between making rent, paying for school excursions or filling the fridge. ‘Frugal comfort’ of the kind promised by Justice Higgins in 1906 (to full-time men at least), is a long way from the anxiety that flatlining wages mean for many Australians.</p>
<p>The wage system shapes the fortunes of Australian households. Its reverberations have become more powerful with the growing number of two-earner households and a retirement incomes system that increasingly mirrors wage earnings.</p>
<p>The growing awareness of wage inequality and unevenly rewarded productivity, in combination with increasing job insecurity and weakening protections at work, is likely to feed into the election campaign.</p>
<p>Redressing the basic and widening power imbalance that underlies the employment and wage statistics has become a public necessity that has supporters in some surprising places. It is overdue.</p>
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<p><em>The <a href="https://www.assa.edu.au" target="_blank">Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia</a> is one of Australia’s four learned academies. The ASSA coordinates the promotion of research, teaching and advice in the social sciences, promotes scholarly cooperation across disciplines, comments on national needs and priorities in the social sciences, and provides advice to government on issues of national importance.</em><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113360/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;"></p>
<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barbara-pocock-7079" target="_blank">Barbara Pocock</a>, Emeritus Professor University of South Australia, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180" target="_blank">University of South Australia</a></em></span></p>
<p>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jobs-but-not-enough-work-how-power-keeps-workers-anxious-and-wages-low-113360" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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Jobs but not enough work. How power keeps workers anxious and wages low

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<p>EXPERT OBSERVER</p>
<p>Gig platforms don’t have a large share of the labour market yet.</p>
<p>A common narrative nowadays is that standard, secure full-time work is a thing of the past thanks to increasing casual jobs, labour hire, temping and non-standard work contracts that side-step collective bargaining. The ACTU says insecure work has grown to “<a href="https://www.actu.org.au/media/349417/lives_on_hold.pdf" target="_blank">crisis levels</a>”. A <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/AvoidanceofFairWork" target="_blank">Senate inquiry rehashed</a> the same themes last year. Much of the academic literature is also <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10301763.2018.1427424?journalCode=rlab20" target="_blank">toeing this line</a>.</p>
<p>Yet there is very little evidence that jobs are any less secure than they were decades ago. This is not to deny that some people are leading very precarious lives. <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/federal/company-fined-record-660000-for-paying-refugee-worker-as-little-as-350-an-hour-20170802-gxnrsf" target="_blank">Recent stories</a> of wage theft and exploitation, particularly among migrant workers, are truly disgraceful.</p>
<p>But, on the whole, Australian workers are not on some inexorable march toward an uncertain and perilous future of work.</p>
<p>It is true that the labour market has changed. The types of jobs we do and the industries we do them in are very different today than in the ’70s. There’s a <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-charts-on-how-part-time-work-is-growing-more-slowly-but-more-men-are-doing-it-79352" target="_blank">lot more part-time work</a>. There’s a lot <a href="https://theconversation.com/women-are-less-likely-to-be-replaced-by-robots-and-might-even-benefit-from-automation-96728" target="_blank">more women</a> in the workforce. The balance of industrial power has shifted in favour of employers.</p>
<p>These changes partly reflect the restructuring of the economy away from some industries (such as manufacturing) and toward those that offer more part-time and casual work (retail, food, accommodation services and the like). But it is also the result of decades of concerted industrial relations reform, along with sweeping changes in individual work preferences.</p>
<p>There is no widely accepted definition of precarious employment. After all, every job is precarious to some extent. Nevertheless there are some common proxies for this slippery concept.</p>
<p>The rise of casual employment was <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10301763.1998.10669175" target="_blank">an early favourite</a> and is still very relevant. More <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-8462.12085" target="_blank">recent research</a> has broadened the scope to include job tenure and involuntary job-loss rates. <a href="https://theconversation.com/workers-are-actually-feeling-less-insecure-in-their-jobs-81836" target="_blank">Others</a> emphasise workers’ own perceptions of job security. There has also been interest in the rate of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1475-4932.12337" target="_blank">self-employment</a>, the number of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://ideas.repec.org/a/fli/journl/35019" target="_blank">multiple job holders</a> and the share of workers handled by <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/supporting/labour-hire" target="_blank">labour hire firms</a>.</p>
<p>Four of these measures cut to the heart of precarity:</p>
<ol>
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<p>casual employment is a measure of precarious contracts</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>job churn reveals the extent to which employers are hiring and firing with impunity</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>self-employment captures all of the gig economy workers who are supposedly flooding the labour market</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>multiple job holders could be so precariously attached to the labour market that they’re unable to make ends meet with a single job.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>On their own, each of these measures is a good but imperfect proxy for precarity. Taken together, however, they largely speak with one compelling voice.</p>
<p><strong>Casualisation</strong></p>
<p>The logic of the casual job is to give employers the flexibility to dial their staffing levels up and down as demand fluctuates. Casual workers don’t get annual and sick leave, and generally aren’t protected against dismissal.</p>
<p>Basically, a casual contract lets an employer hire and fire with impunity.</p>
<p>That sounds pretty precarious. You would expect that a labour market of increasing precarity would exhibit a strong trend toward casualisation. In fact, what we have had is strong growth in casual employment during the last two decades of the 20th century and then nothing.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/UEcUf/1/" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="400"></iframe></p>
<p>Now there is no doubt that casual work is usually lower-quality work. On the whole, casual workers <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0018726716686666" target="_blank">get paid less, chase more hours</a> and are a little <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1718/CasualEmployeesAustralia" target="_blank">less satisfied</a> than their permanently employed peers.</p>
<p>But that is not evidence that casual employment is becoming ubiquitous.</p>
<p><strong>Churn</strong></p>
<p>If employers really were hiring and firing with abandon we should see more people staying in jobs for briefer periods. But we’re not.</p>
<p>In fact, as we can see in the chart below, there has not been a huge spike in workers forced out of their jobs involuntarily. And the proportion that have been in their jobs for 12 months is also staying on trend.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/QysPX/1/" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="400"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Bni1x/1/" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="400"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>Self-employment</strong></p>
<p>This category should be the smoking gun of a more precarious workforce. It captures anyone who works for themselves, whether in a formally constituted company or not. I have deliberately excluded in this measure those who employ others, so we’re really looking at the cohort of people who work for themselves and by themselves on commercial contract terms.</p>
<p>Self-employment captures all non-employees, such as Uber drivers and Foodora riders, as well as those who were “pushed out” of employment and onto contract.</p>
<p>And yet, as you can see in the following chart, these people are getting harder to find:</p>
<p><iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/yt2iA/2/" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="400"></iframe></p>
<p>The downward trend may seem surprising given one supposed key driver of precarity is the digitalised “gig economy”. <a href="https://http-download.intuit.com/http.intuit/CMO/intuit/futureofsmallbusiness/intuit_2020_report.pdf" target="_blank">One projection</a> was that 40% of the US workforce would be freelancers, contractors or temporary workers by 2020.</p>
<p>But the reality is that, for all their visibility and controversy, gig economy platforms are not yet commanding a significant share of the labour market.</p>
<p><strong>Multiple job holders</strong></p>
<p>That a higher share of workers are holding down multiple jobs fits with the notion that the economy is becoming “gigified”, with workers increasingly forced to move from job to job to make ends meet.</p>
<p>Yet the data provide little evidence that this is a material shift in the structure of the labour market.</p>
<p>In 1997, the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6216.0Aug%201997?OpenDocument" target="_blank">ABS found</a> the proportion of employed persons holding multiple jobs increased from 3.7% in August 1987 to 5.2% a decade later. While the ABS has not published a long-term series since this report, it provided me a custom dataset that shows the current rate is not much higher, at about 5.5%.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6150.0.55.001July%202017?OpenDocument" target="_blank">ABS introduced</a> a similar but not identical measure last year – the proportion of jobs in the economy that are “secondary jobs”. This remained stable between 2010-11 and 2015-16, at around 5.6%.</p>
<p><strong>The takeaway</strong></p>
<p>When I started researching the rise of the gig economy and the future of work I was sure that Australia’s labour market was taking a precarious turn. After all, Uber drivers, Deliveroo riders and Airtaskers seem to be everywhere.</p>
<p>But the weight of evidence clearly suggests that, while the last two decades of the 20th century produced a significant rise in non-standard work, the first two decades of the 21st have seen remarkably little change.</p>
<p>There is much to dislike about the quality and quantity of jobs the economy is delivering. But to make this a conversation about precarity is to chase a red herring.</p>
<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99739/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">This fruitless pursuit is simply distracting researchers and policymakers from far more pressing questions – like how to create a globally competitive workforce fit for the 21st century.</p>
<p><em><strong>Robert Sobyra</strong> is a PhD Candidate at The University of Queensland</em></p>
<p><em>This article was originally published on</em> The Conversation.</p>
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Australian jobs aren't becoming less secure: Robert Sobyra

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<p>Land release in South West Sydney is great news for housing affordability but government must now focus on creating jobs in Western Sydney.</p>
<p><span>The release of the of land for 30,000 new homes in Sydney’s south west is great news but the NSW Government must now put their attention on getting jobs in Western Sydney City.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12.16px;">The announcement by Minister Roberts of the release of 1,500 hectares for a new community, South </span><span style="font-size: 12.16px;">Creek West in the south west area of Sydney is fantastic news and will help address Sydney’s ongoing </span><span style="font-size: 12.16px;">housing affordability crisis.</span><span style="font-size: 12.16px;"><br></span></p>
<p><span>Provision of timely infrastructure is also critical to ensure that South Creek West community is amenable and accessible. The South West Rail Link should be extended to service this area and will allow future resident</span><span>s to access jobs and services.</span></p>
<p><span>Research shows that 500,000 residents travel from the west to the east of the city every day for work, which takes a huge toll on the transport network, the environment and has social consequences for families and workers. The next step for Government is to deliver the Greater Syd</span><span>ney’s Commission vision of a ‘30 minute City’ by providing jobs which can be accessed easily by those living in these new release areas.</span></p>
<p><span>The future Western Sydney Airport provides immense opportunities for employment in this area. The State </span><span>Government must expedite land release for job creating industries and look at how to use surrounding employment lands in a flexible manner to encourage more jobs are created </span><span>faster.</span></p>
<p><span>New housing supply is absolutely critical to bringing down home prices and getting families and first home buyers into the property market. However, the State Government has recently removed the cap on local infrastructure contributions, an upfront payment which is added onto the cost of a home. Councils have already indicated they are looking to increase these contributions </span><span>by up to $80,000 per dwelling.</span></p>
<p><span>This area is well located and has fantastic potential for growth and development however it is critical that excessive taxes and levies which deter development and drive up housing c</span><span>osts are minimised.</span></p>
<p><span>The Department of Planning &amp; Environment has found that 725,000 new dwellings are required in Sydney by 2056. New release areas such as South Creek West are critical to ensure a steady supply of new housing </span><span>is provided for Sydney’s </span><span>growing population, including freestanding homes and apartments and t</span><span>ownhouses.</span></p>
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<p><span>Planning for this new suburb must be streamlined and efficient. Often the planning process can lag for years before there are homes on the ground. Families need homes now and the less red tape and bureaucracy in the planning process, the faster we will see more d</span><span>wellings put out to the market.</span></p>
<p><span>The Urban Taskforce is keen to be involved in discussions with the NSW Government to ensure that </span><span>planning for this new area takes place in a timely manner and with appropriate densities to </span><span>accommodate Sydney’s growing population and creating more Western Sydney jobs faster.</span></p>
<p><span><em><span>CHRIS JOHNSON</span> is CEO of Urban Taskforce.</em></span></p>
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jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Government must focus on creating jobs for Western Sydney

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<div>The ABS released its all-important Labour Force data for Janaury 2016. It is perhaps the most important of the data releases, so let's take a canter through it in the three short parts.</div>
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<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Part 1 - Employment growth</span></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>In seasonally adjusted terms, total employment declined by -7,900 in January to 11,894,500. In trend terms, total employment increased by +19,800.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Although this was a decline for the headline result which missed market expecations, given the strength of what has gone before, in context it wasn't too bad a result. </div>
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<div><a href="/images/2016/02/19/A1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/02/19/A1.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div><span>In trend terms total employment increased by +302,500 over the past year or +2.6 per cent, which is a high rate of employment growth in historical terms. </span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><span>Click to enlarge</span></div>
<div><span><img src="/images/2016/02/19/A7.jpg" alt=""></span></div>
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<div> </div>
<div><span>However, the composition of employment does not look quite so pretty, with full time employment decreasing by -40,600 in January, and part time employment increasing by +32,700. </span></div>
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<div><a href="/images/2016/02/19/A2.jpg" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></div>
<div><span><img src="/images/2016/02/19/A2.jpg" alt=""></span></div>
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<div>
<div>While full time jobs growth has been solid over the past year in rising by +2.0 per cent, the rate of part time jobs growth has been exceptionally high at +3.9 per cent. This probably represents a structural shift towards more casual jobs.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Total hours worked increased by a modest +2.0 per cent over the past year, perhaps a rather more realistic indicator of the strength of employment growth. </div>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br>Part 2 - NSW &amp; QLD create the jobs</span></strong><br><div> </div>
<div>After some previously massive months of jobs growth, employment in New South Wales (and Victoria) pulled back in January, while Queensland went on to record further gains. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Over the past six months the economy has created +143,400 jobs, with New South Wales (43 per cent) and Queensland (38 per cent) accounting for more than four-fifths of them.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/02/19/A3.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/02/19/A3.jpg" alt=""></div>
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<div><span>Over the past year employment growth rates have ranged from an enormous +4.7 per cent in New South Wales and +3.3 per cent in Queensland, to a distinctly uninspiring -0.9 per cent in Tasmania. </span></div>
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<div><a href="/images/2016/02/19/A4.jpg" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></div>
<div><span><img src="/images/2016/02/19/A4.jpg" alt=""></span></div>
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<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Part 3 - Unemployment rates converge</span></strong><br><br><div>The headline result showed a seasonally adjusted increase in the unemployment rate to 6.0 per cent, which will excite the pessimists. However, the result was probably more middle of the road than anything.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The participation rate has crept up to 65.2 per cent, the highest level in nearly four years, and while the number of unemployed persons recorded is volatile, it was down by 2.6 per cent over the year.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The trend unemployment rate ticked down a notch to 5.8 per cent, for a 27 month low. </div>
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<div><a href="/images/2016/02/19/A5.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/02/19/A5.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div><span>At the state level the monthly figures were absolutely wild once again, lurching all over the place. The trend figures point towards convergence rather than divergence between the states, with New South Wales looking to be in the best nick on this measure. </span></div>
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<div><a href="/images/2016/02/19/A6.jpg" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></div>
<div><span><img src="/images/2016/02/19/A6.jpg" alt=""></span></div>
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<div>
<div class="separator"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The wrap</span></strong></div>
<div class="separator"> </div>
<div class="separator">The 95 per cent confidence interval figures provided by the ABS (which ranged from -66,500 to +55,700 for the month) serve as a reminder that as estimates the monthly data shouldn't be taken too literally.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The big picture suggests that although annual headline employment growth is high by historical standards, the quality of employment growth is underwhelming, with part time work and under-employment aplenty in evidence. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>As a result ongoing low wages growth is likely to be the order of the day due to the inherent level of slack in the workforce.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The employment figures weren't too bad on the whole, but notably Goldman Sachs is now forecasting interest rate cuts of 25 basis points in both May and July, so hold on to your hats.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p><span><em>PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em><br></span></p>
<p><em>His latest book is <a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.</em></p>
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