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South West TAFE and the Foundation for Young Australians together with industry partners Lyndoch Living, Western District Health Service and Eventide Homes are collaborating on a new initiative in South West Victoria. This project is funded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training's Workforce Training Innovation Fund, exploring new ideas and solutions to career management. Providing local insights into the changing economy, [this] report analysed 1.2 million job advertisements in the past 3 years across South West Victoria and Victoria to map out the changing employment opportunities within the region. This report reveals what employers in the region are demanding and how workers can prepare for these changes. These findings will directly inform the broader project co-designed with industry, educators and students.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The 2016 publication 'The new work mindset: 7 new job clusters to help young people navigate the new work order' is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 126.699. Show less

In Italy, small gender differences are present among 'young' NEETs (not in education, employment or training, 15-24 years), while the gender gap increases considerably among 'older' NEETs (25-34 years). We analyze the socioeconomic factors that influence the NEET gender gap, which increases with age. We consider regional data on four groups of NEETs (by age and gender) adopting a system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) estimator on a 2010-2018 panel dataset. Group analysis makes it possible to detect specific determinants (problems related to the study and work choices of young people) causes of the gap.

Our results suggest that women are exposed to a higher risk of persistence in NEET status due to labor issues, while family/social obligations lose their influence with age. General economic and unemployment issues are connected to the NEET status mainly among men.

Published abstract. Show less

This paper compares the returns to education in transitional economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic and the Ukraine in the 1990s, and in China in the 1980s and 1990s. In the pre-transition period, the returns to education in the six CEE countries were low at about 2-4%, while those in China were even lower at less than 2%. As the process of transition towards a market economy evolved over time, the returns to education steadily increased, and non-state sector workers and young workers were rewarded with higher returns to their education than their counterparts in the state sector and older age categories. The marginal returns to university education are the highest of all of the marginal returns to various education levels. Moreover, the results show that it took about a decade for the six CEE countries, and two decades for China, to raise their respective returns to education to the 10% level.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This book moves beyond the simplistic conception of alleged 'gaps' in graduate skills and 'mismatches' between employers and universities, and instead provides an innovative multi-dimensional and intersectional human capabilities conceptualisation of graduate employability. The book challenges an individualised notion of employability, instead locating employability issues in social and economic conditions, and argues that employability choices cannot be divorced from inequality. The book has its genesis in a three-year (2013-2016) research project on 'Universities, employability and inclusive development' involving five countries - the UK, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya - with a focus on undergraduate education and case studies of universities in each country, 14 universities in total [report available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 126.204]. Drawing on the on qualitative and quantitative data from the multiple case-study universities in South Africa, the book explores the perceptions and experiences of diverse students, lecturers, support officers and employers, regarding what each university is doing, or should be doing, to enhance graduate economic opportunities and contribute to inclusive development.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website and publication.

The chapters are as follows: Contextual and policy conditions; Graduate employability, global shifts and local realities; A human capabilities conceptualization of graduate employability; Employability and conversion factors; Access and participation; Democratic citizenship and employable graduates; Employers and graduate opportunities; Aspirations, capabilities and graduate employability; Appendix A: Policy environment for graduate employability in South Africa; Appendix B: Graduate attributes. Show less

The Business Council of Australia was established in 1983 to provide a forum for Australian business leaders to contribute directly to public policy debates. Since the mid 1970s, Australia has suffered three major recessions, transforming the Australian economy from one of full employment during the post-war era to an underemployed nation. This paper looks at ways of improving Australia's macroeconomic performance in order to limit and prevent, to the extent possible, the impact of future recessions. New directions for reform are identified and include: improving short term labour market efficiency; re-engineering fiscal policy; and broadening the scope of savings policy. Show less

The [Israel-Hamas] conflict is resulting in a deep humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with huge implications on the labour market, employment prospects and livelihoods, not only within Gaza, but also in the West Bank. Entire neighbourhoods in Gaza have been destroyed, infrastructure has been severely damaged, businesses have closed, large-scale internal displacement has occurred, and the lack of water, food and fuel are severely crippling economic activity. Even prior to the current conflict, the situation in Gaza was particularly dire as a result of a 17-year old blockade imposed on the enclave, and Gazans have long grappled with persistently high rates of poverty, unemployment and vulnerability.

Initial estimates suggest that a minimum of 61 per cent of employment has been lost in Gaza, equivalent to 182,000 jobs. The conflict in Gaza is also having spillover effects in the West Bank, where initial estimates suggest that around 24 per cent of employment has also been lost, equivalent to 208,000 jobs. In total, as of 31 October 2023, around 390,000 jobs have been lost, and these estimates are projected to only worsen if military operations in Gaza intensify. Jobs losses in Gaza and the West Bank translate into daily labour income losses of [Unites States dollars] USD 16 million. Full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to the population in Gaza is key, and should be complemented with emergency income support measures, including cash and in-kind transfers.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to reshape the global economy, especially in the realm of labor markets. Advanced economies will experience the benefits and pitfalls of AI sooner than emerging market and developing economies, largely due to their employment structure focused on cognitive-intensive roles. There are some consistent patterns concerning AI exposure, with women and college-educated individuals more exposed but also better poised to reap AI benefits, and older workers potentially less able to adapt to the new technology. Labor income inequality may increase if the complementarity between AI and high-income workers is strong, while capital returns will increase wealth inequality. However, if productivity gains are sufficiently large, income levels could surge for most workers. In this evolving landscape, advanced economies and more developed emerging markets need to focus on upgrading regulatory frameworks and supporting labor reallocation, while safeguarding those adversely affected. Emerging market and developing economies should prioritize developing digital infrastructure and digital skills.

To inform the discussion on the potential impact of AI on the future of work and which policies countries should enact in response, this note aims to answer six questions: (1) Which countries are more exposed to AI adoption? Which countries are likely to benefit most? (2) How differently will AI affect workers within countries? Which segments of workers are likely to thrive and which face more risks? (3) Historically, how frequently did workers shift between roles now facing varying AI exposure? What insights do these shifts reveal about labor adaptability? (4) In what ways could AI reshape income and wealth inequality? (5) What is the potential impact for growth and productivity? (6) Which countries appear better prepared for the AI transition? How can policies maximize gains and mitigate likely AI-related challenges?

Excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less

This discussion paper begins Labor's development of a new Northern Territory Jobs Plan. It includes: executive summary of commitments; the values and principles of a Labor government in growing the territory economy; Labor's economic framework; growing jobs by improving business productivity; growing jobs by improving participation; and growing jobs by attracting more people to the territory.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

The Global Employment Policy Review (GEPR) is a biennial publication prepared by the Employment Policy Department of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The Global Employment Policy Review (GEPR) examines trends in employment policies while at the same time presenting new and innovative solutions to the challenges of policy design and implementation. In this first edition, the report focuses on the issue of structural transformation. This review comes at a time when the world is looking for medium- to long term solutions to not only overcome the current crisis caused by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic but also to build back better.

Chapter 1, 'Industrial policies for structural transformation: processes, institutions and methods' by David Kucera, Dorothea Schmidt-Klau and Johannes Weiss, identifies three methods for providing guidance on identifying promising products and corresponding sectors to promote export expansion and structural transformation. The comparative analysis of these three methods, accompanied by in-depth country studies, show that that structural transformation should not be viewed as an end in itself but as a means to create more and better jobs, that is 'decent work'. Chapter 2, 'Making trade more employment-friendly: the role of skills policies' by Cornelius Gregg, Bolormaa Tumurchudur-Klok and Olga Strietska-Ilina, starts by exploring what is known about skills and trade, reviews the connection between skills and trade, assesses the influence of skills in achieving a level playing field in international trade, and considers how to respond to trade-related changes in skills demand.

Chapter 3, 'The contribution of employment-intensive investment programmes to structural economic transformation for peace and resilience' by Mito Tsukamoto and Anna McCord, outlines the potential of employment intensive investment programmes (EIIPs) for responding to profound changes in an increasingly globalized economic system, which has left millions of workers either surplus to the requirements of the labour market or engaged in it yet unable to earn a decent living wage. Chapter 4, 'National employment policies and environmental sustainability: forging stronger ties' by Valter Nebuloni, Christoph Ernst and Daniele Epifanio, provides a brief introduction on climate change and the transition to a green and fair economy, then reviews the interdependencies and transmission channels among the environmental, social and economic spheres, also introducing the green jobs concept, and it considers national employment policies (NEPs) and other policy frameworks and measures for promoting employment, while addressing the effects of climate change.

Chapter 5, 'Pathways to formality: Comparing policy approaches in Africa, Asia and Latin America' by Juan Chacaltana and Vicky Leung, explores the regional dimension of formalization policies, focusing on Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, where informality rates range above 50 per cent of total employment. Given the vast heterogeneity of informality, it is clear that there is no 'silver bullet' solution for the transition to formality and that multiple and coordinated interventions are needed (integrated approach).

Edited excerpts from publisher's website and publication. Show less

Unemployment swings have distributional consequences if some groups are hit harder than others. [The author] examine[s] if the sensitivity to local unemployment rates varies by characteristics such as health, cognitive ability and non-cognitive ability. Data on these variables come from registers covering the entire Swedish population of males. [The author] show[s] that variations in the unemployment rate are associated with larger variations for those with poor health or with a low non-cognitive ability. This pattern is found both among young and older individuals. The employment of the lower-educated also varies more with variations in the unemployment rate, but only among younger workers.

Published abstract. Show less