Employment News

The latest news on careers, the workplace and the job market.

Women make better managers, study finds

New research describes Australia's senior female executives as more strategic, innovative and more prepared to take risks than their male counterparts.

Work levy to pay for new mums

Workers would pay a levy averaging $5.70 a week to fund a paid maternity leave scheme delivering mothers six months leave - under the first serious maternity-leave proposal put before the Federal Government.

Working hours way over the top

More than two thirds of Australians work more than 40 hours a week on a regular basis, a survey has found.

Gen F more vital at work than Gen Y

You've heard of Generation X and the notorious Gen Y, now make way for Generation F. Generation F comprises 45 per cent of the working population making them far more important to employers...

Workers refuse jobs with no Facebook

Bosses who block access to MySpace and Facebook at work risk losing valuable staff to other companies, new research has found.

Mother of five named new Governor-General

Australia's first female Governor-General says her appointment sends a message to all girls: "You can do anything, you can be anything."

Maternity leave should be a right

Hundreds of thousands of business owners struggling to fill vacant job positions should offer paid maternity leave as a way to attract and retain staff.

Australia's sexiest jobs revealed

Want to be an instant babe or chick magnet? Just tell your date you're an actor, nurse or personal trainer. Australia's sexiest jobs list shows we like our women kind and buff, and our men beefy with a wallet to match.

Teacher image needs makeover

Australia's teacher shortage is reaching dire levels as school-leavers and undergraduates look to move into what they perceive as more lucrative careers.

School leavers pass up uni for mining trades

Three universities in the mining boom states of Queensland and Western Australia have relinquished hundreds of student places as school-leavers increasingly choose the quick money of the resources industry over a university degree.

Going global in search of scarce skills

Headhunters are expensive, but they're often the only option when high-level talent is desperately needed.

Hangovers a hassle

Weekend partying is causing hangovers for already staff-strapped employers forced to stand staff down for testing positive for drugs or alcohol.

Defence campaign targets women

Women should have equal opportunities at every level of the nation's armed forces and all positions should be based on merit and not gender, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says.

Coalition reconciled to demise of AWAs

The Coalition has acquiesced to the demise of Australian Workplace Agreements, finding no reason to modify the Rudd Government's first industrial relations bill.

Queensland workers search for balance: survey

What happens at work is part of the big picture for the modern employee.

Bosses put too much pressure on us to perform, we are struggling to balance home commitments with work and we'd jump ship for a job offering more money - but most of us are happy with our jobs.

Employment figures looking good

The official employment figures released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal an unemployment decrease of 0.2 per cent down to 4 per cent.

Skilled migrants for the fast track

Specialist teams to fast-track the visas of skilled workers and an accreditation system for employers who regularly hire overseas labour are the main recommendations of an independent committee set up to tackle Australia's skills crisis.

Students compelled to volunteer

All students at a leading university will have to undertake volunteer work and study subjects from the arts and sciences under an overhaul of its curriculum designed to provide a broader education and more socially aware graduates.

Bosses to snoop on emails

Bosses could be given the power to snoop on employees' emails and monitor their internet messaging under a new plan to avert a terrorist attack in Australia.

Aussies pick top jobs in London

Forget the backpacking pub worker, today's young travellers want more.

Part-timers fail at work, home

Part-time work has failed to deliver either at home or in the office, with large numbers of white-collar workers suffering career burnout and family stress.

Battle of the sexes still being waged

A rise in sexual harassment claims is posing a 21st-century challenge for working women. Women already face considerable challenges in the workplace...

WA to recruit interstate taxi drivers

Western Australia will advertise in Victoria and other states to attract hundreds of taxi drivers to Perth.

Calls grow for maternity leave

Momentum is building for 14 weeks' government-funded paid maternity leave after the nation's peak union body said its introduction was a crucial first step for working mothers.

Training for 50,000 new health workers

Up to 50,000 new frontline health workers will be trained in a plan to be put to today's COAG meeting in Adelaide.

Work Choices killed off

The hyperbole was momentous but the performance pathetic as the Coalition meekly let Work Choices disappear.

If Julia Gillard looked relaxed yesterday as her counterpart, Julie Bishop, flayed accusations of capitulation and backflips at her in the final debate, it was because she still had a neat surprise for the skittish Opposition.