Creating sustainable employment for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups . This project aims to address long-term unemployment and labour market exclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups by generating new employer-led solutions. The project expects to create, with employers, successful strategies for recruiting disadvantaged workers into better quality jobs, and to co-produce best practice employer engagement toolkits and minimum job quality standards. Anticipated outcomes include increasi ....Creating sustainable employment for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups . This project aims to address long-term unemployment and labour market exclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups by generating new employer-led solutions. The project expects to create, with employers, successful strategies for recruiting disadvantaged workers into better quality jobs, and to co-produce best practice employer engagement toolkits and minimum job quality standards. Anticipated outcomes include increasing the success of government-funded employment programs by improving employment opportunities and reducing cycling between work and welfare. Significant benefits for disadvantaged groups, businesses and society will result in increased employee wellbeing, organisational performance and economic competitiveness.Read moreRead less
The role of the front line in welfare to work. This project aims to examine the front-line in Australia's primary site of welfare reform - the Job Network. Developed within the genre of street-level policy research, the project intends to examine that point of the policy process where actual outcomes are generated - a site which is largely overlooked in policy research, but which is integral to a comprehensive understanding of how policy works. From the perspective of the long-term unemployed, t ....The role of the front line in welfare to work. This project aims to examine the front-line in Australia's primary site of welfare reform - the Job Network. Developed within the genre of street-level policy research, the project intends to examine that point of the policy process where actual outcomes are generated - a site which is largely overlooked in policy research, but which is integral to a comprehensive understanding of how policy works. From the perspective of the long-term unemployed, the research will explore what works in the relationship between clients and their case managers. It will also explore the experiences of engagement and re-engagement with employment as a consequence of Job Network assistance.Read moreRead less
Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. ....Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. This project will develop new understandings of the barriers low skill men face when they seek jobs in areas of rising employment, such as the service sector. It will provide an assessment of the possibilities of overcoming these barriers, and develop ideas about how best to enhance low skilled men's access to good jobs. Read moreRead less
Understanding and preventing workforce vulnerabilities in midlife and beyond. This project brings together frontline service agencies with researchers from two universities to study involuntary non-participation and under-participation in the labour market by midlife Australians. Quantitative and qualitative approaches will be used to understand pathways and outcomes so as to inform policy and practice responses.
Creating effective employment solutions for youth with psychosis. Young people with severe mental illness face the general difficulty of finding paid work, and the specific difficulty of finding employment which can accommodate their health needs. Without early intervention, and access to supported employment, health and rehabilitation services, these young Australians face long-term welfare dependency. This Project will identify leading international models that provide supported employment for ....Creating effective employment solutions for youth with psychosis. Young people with severe mental illness face the general difficulty of finding paid work, and the specific difficulty of finding employment which can accommodate their health needs. Without early intervention, and access to supported employment, health and rehabilitation services, these young Australians face long-term welfare dependency. This Project will identify leading international models that provide supported employment for young people with psychosis and examine why such effective and integrated support models have not been implemented domestically. The Project will then develop a detailed policy and funding framework to facilitate the adoption or adaptation of international best practice in Australia.Read moreRead less
Balancing trust and control in the provision of employment services: comparing outcomes for disability employment service users. The Australian government is committed to assisting marginalised job seekers and increasing employment participation as part of its Social Inclusion Agenda. This research will assist the government achieve its social inclusion goals by analysing key elements of the new generation of employment services and generating comparative information about the relative effective ....Balancing trust and control in the provision of employment services: comparing outcomes for disability employment service users. The Australian government is committed to assisting marginalised job seekers and increasing employment participation as part of its Social Inclusion Agenda. This research will assist the government achieve its social inclusion goals by analysing key elements of the new generation of employment services and generating comparative information about the relative effectiveness of different service delivery models currently operating in the Job Network and the Disability Employment Network. Read moreRead less
Assessing performance: designing a better performance management framework for disability employment services. The Australian Government is committed to providing the "best possible" service to assist people with disability find employment in the open labour market. This project will develop a performance management framework for disability employment services which includes indicators of service quality as well as employment outcomes.
Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is ....Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is a potential solution to both these challenges but requires new approaches to cross sector collaborations. This project aims to develop new insights, practical knowledge and practical tools for effective social procurement.Read moreRead less
Employment systems and organisational outcomes: Managing employee expectations through HRM practice. This project contributes to our understanding of the factors that influence organisational effectiveness. Australian employers are facing competitive business conditions and changing demographics. In this challenging environment, employers and employees must develop a clear understanding of what they can expect from one another. Unfulfilled expectations can lead to workplace cynicism and have ....Employment systems and organisational outcomes: Managing employee expectations through HRM practice. This project contributes to our understanding of the factors that influence organisational effectiveness. Australian employers are facing competitive business conditions and changing demographics. In this challenging environment, employers and employees must develop a clear understanding of what they can expect from one another. Unfulfilled expectations can lead to workplace cynicism and have a negative effect on organisational performance. The project findings will help organisations become more competitive in the global marketplace by designing HRM practice configurations that are best fit to the needs of their employees and that establish converging expectations about the employment relationship.Read moreRead less
Managing Diversity: Diversity Practice Configurations and Organisational Effectiveness. Organisations expend a lot of momey on their diversity efforts but often fail to implement the most effective diversity management practices. Left unmanaged, workforce diversity can create internal conflict and lower organisational performance. These challenges are especially difficult for the small organisations characteristic of Australian business. This project is designed to identify the most effective ....Managing Diversity: Diversity Practice Configurations and Organisational Effectiveness. Organisations expend a lot of momey on their diversity efforts but often fail to implement the most effective diversity management practices. Left unmanaged, workforce diversity can create internal conflict and lower organisational performance. These challenges are especially difficult for the small organisations characteristic of Australian business. This project is designed to identify the most effective diversity management practices for small and large organisations and provide recommendations for their use. The project benefits employers and employees alike by identifying diversity management practices that maximise organisational effectiveness and create positive working environments in the Australian context.Read moreRead less