More than 1.8 million people are unemployed or looking for more work as the Morrison Government’s plan for low wages and insecure work continues to stall economic growth.
Unemployment has stayed flat at 5.2 per cent seasonally adjusted, underemployment and underutilization both increased by 0.2 per cent to 8.4 and 13.6 respectively according to data released this morning by the ABS.
Insecure work and our broken bargaining system are combining to make it harder than ever for Australians to find good, secure jobs.
More than a million people now have two or more jobs, and we know that these people actually earn less than people with only one job – the Morrison Government is creating a new class of hyper-insecure workers with no pathway to secure, stable employment.
As stated by ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:
“The Morrison Government has no plan to fix underemployment because insecure work is what the Government’s business backers want.
“1.8 million people are either out of work or are looking for more work and cannot find it, and the Morrison Government is watching on, doing nothing.
“The Morrison Government’s plan is for low wages and insecure workers. It is already talking about removing unfair dismissal laws, watering down bargaining protections, and is trying to introduce unprecedented anti-union legislation.
“Despite the fact that people want more hours and are working multiple jobs, Scott Morrison thinks people earning less than $200,000 a year are lazy.”
