Healing the divisions: unemployment, underemployment and overwork in Australia

Abstract

During a round table discussion at a 2001 conference entitled 'Creating Jobs: The Role of Government', it was suggested that participants had spent too much time discussing the role of unemployment. Bob Gregory argued that unemployment should instead be seen as part of a larger structural problem with the Australian economy (2002: 271). In line with this argument, we should avoid formulating policies that single out or target unemployed citizens as a distinct category of welfare expenditure. Instead, we should pursue policies that reunite the interests of employed and unemployed citizens.