New report: Digital platform work in Australia
A new report presents the preliminary findings from a national survey commissioned by the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet. It was prepared by Prof Paula McDonald (QUT), Dr Penny Williams (QUT), Prof Andrew Stewart (University of Adelaide), Dr Damian Oliver (UTS), and A/Prof Robyn Mayes (QUT). The survey of 14,000 respondents…
Gerardo Patriotta: Crafting papers for publication
On Thursday 11th May, Professor Gerardo Patriotta from the Warwick Business School conducted a workshop for 25 staff and students which examined the techniques that authors can use for developing effective arguments, leveraging academic conventions in a constructive fashion, and communicating clear contributions to their audiences…
Work + Family Roundtable election benchmarks released
In the lead up to the 2019 Federal election, the Work + Family Roundtable has proposed a set of research-informed Policy Benchmarks against which election proposals for improving work, care and family outcomes in Australia can be assessed. The benchmarks were released on April 17.
Seminar: WIL, Internships and Equity
In this seminar on Tuesday 14th May, A/Prof Robyn Mayes, Dr Deanna Grant-Smith and Prof Paula McDonald from the Work/Industry Futures Research Program presented recent research in the field of work integrated learning (WIL), open market internships and student equity in postgraduate access. The presentations, which were hosted by the…
Seminar by Rahila Haidary
At the age of six, Rahila came face to face with the reality of being a girl in the Oruzgan district of Afghanistan where she was prohibited from attending school under the extremist rules imposed by the Taliban. Unconvinced, Rahila dressed as a boy to fit in and attend school. This was a turning point in Rahila’s life. In this recent…
Inclusion and work: Disability perspectives
Dr Jannine Williams and Dr. Kathy Moore hosted a QUT alumni event on Tuesday 19th February addressing Inclusion and Work: Disability Perspectives. The event featured guest speakers Sinead Hourigan, Qld Director for Robert Walters; Mary Darke, Associate Director for Robert Walters; and Bill Gamack, CEO EPIC. The presenters shared their…
Submission to national inquiry into workplace sexual harassment
Paula McDonald and Sara Charlesworth (RMIT) published a Submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces. Read the submission… Excerpts from the submission were published in an article in Workplace Express on February 1st.
Visiting Professor, Gill Kirton from Queen Mary University London
Professor Gill Kirton from Queen Mary University London visited QUT in February at the invitation of the Work/Industry Futures Research Program. She delivered a research seminar titled Explaining the intractable gender gap in IT education and employment: Where do we go from here? Gill also facilitated a well-attended publishing workshop…
Why some workers are saying no to the gig economy
Predictions of large numbers of workers choosing or being compelled to access work via digital platforms have proliferated in the popular media and consultancy reports. Yet such predictions have so far not been borne out in workforce statistics. In this article in Futures of Work, Penny Williams, Robyn Mayes and Paula McDonald discuss…
Gig-style internships are on the rise
Paula McDonald was interviewed for an article in Campus Review on ‘micro-internships’. The article raised a number of concerns about this new form of gig work, including avenues of dispute for non-payments if a company deems an intern’s work incomplete or unacceptable, and rights to benefits and protections enjoyed by other employees…
Read our 2018 Annual Report
This 2018 annual activity report outlines the research, engagement activities and outcomes of the Work/Industry Futures Research Program in 2018.
Flexible work: Barrier to benefits?
Money & Life, the magazine of the Financial Planning Association of Australia, included an article based on Melinda Laundon and Penny Williams’ paper published in the Financial Planning Research Journal, Flexible Work: Barrier to benefits? (September, 2018).