Prospects for quality work and gender equality in frontline care work. Despite policy concerns about unmet demand for paid care, frontline care workers generally have poorer conditions than workers in other feminised sectors. This project will investigate the regulatory options to improve the quality of care work to build Australian expertise and knowledge about the links between job quality and quality of care services.
Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk ....Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk of poor mental health, absenteeism, and exit from the workforce. This project will analyse data following people over time to investigate the long-term health and employment consequences of poor psychosocial job quality, and consider the special case of mature age workers. It will identify those individuals at greatest risk, and factors that can buffer against the adverse effects of poor quality work.Read moreRead less
Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and socia ....Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and social equity) and expert scientists in work, health, social equality and policy process intends to reveal the diversity of older workers’ work-health dilemmas and effective ways for national policies to solve them. The policy suite will promote financial independence and meet social goals of equity and healthy ageing.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100543
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,260.00
Summary
Paid work in cash-for-care: Australia in comparative perspective. The project seeks to build an evidence base to address the public policy problem of how to develop a sustainable workforce in the publicly-funded disability sector based on quality jobs for care workers and flexible high-quality care. Under new social care arrangements, money for care is allocated directly to vulnerable people to purchase their own services. Cash-for-care changes the organisation of paid care work in ways that pos ....Paid work in cash-for-care: Australia in comparative perspective. The project seeks to build an evidence base to address the public policy problem of how to develop a sustainable workforce in the publicly-funded disability sector based on quality jobs for care workers and flexible high-quality care. Under new social care arrangements, money for care is allocated directly to vulnerable people to purchase their own services. Cash-for-care changes the organisation of paid care work in ways that pose significant risks for workers and for the development of sustainable social care workforces. This project intends to examine outcomes for care workers under cash-for-care and to identify regulatory strategies for creating quality work for paid care workers in flexible, high-quality care systems.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100333
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$322,294.00
Summary
Is Precarious Employment Reshaping the Lives of Young Adults? This project aims to investigate the impact of the growth of insecure and non-standard employment on the transition to adulthood. It is recognised that precarious employment among young people can influence career outcomes, but very little is known about its impact beyond work. In Australia and other developed countries, many young people are making housing transitions, building relationships and forming attitudes towards work–life–fa ....Is Precarious Employment Reshaping the Lives of Young Adults? This project aims to investigate the impact of the growth of insecure and non-standard employment on the transition to adulthood. It is recognised that precarious employment among young people can influence career outcomes, but very little is known about its impact beyond work. In Australia and other developed countries, many young people are making housing transitions, building relationships and forming attitudes towards work–life–family questions while negotiating complex and insecure employment. This project has the potential to provide new knowledge of the resources that government, educators, and youth service providers should make available to help young people achieve their goals, hence supporting economic participation, social inclusion and quality of life.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.
Work, care, retirement and health: ageing agendas. This project will undertake a gendered analysis of how Australians can retire well, taking account of their key resources (such as work, superannuation, the aged pension, and other assets) and key demands (such as to work longer and to care for others in the context of an ageing population and a more feminised workforce).
Job quality and care quality in aged care. The project aims to investigate how job quality and the quality of care are linked in residential and community-based aged care services. Population ageing and fewer informal carers place pressure on aged care provision across the OECD There is little understanding, at either the policy or workplace levels, of how the quality of aged care jobs affects the viability and quality of that provision. The project expects to improve knowledge about how job qua ....Job quality and care quality in aged care. The project aims to investigate how job quality and the quality of care are linked in residential and community-based aged care services. Population ageing and fewer informal carers place pressure on aged care provision across the OECD There is little understanding, at either the policy or workplace levels, of how the quality of aged care jobs affects the viability and quality of that provision. The project expects to improve knowledge about how job quality affects aged care quality; and identify care markets, policy regimes and work organisation that best support sustainable quality aged care.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100136
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$140,000.00
Summary
The Saulwick Age poll archive: a national facility of authoritative records mapping a generation of social change at the end of the 20th Century. This research facility will be of national significance for all who are interested in social and political change in Australia during the latter period of the 20th Century. The Saulwick Age poll archive will provide insights into Australian society which will be unmatched by information from other resources and will be open to all users from school stu ....The Saulwick Age poll archive: a national facility of authoritative records mapping a generation of social change at the end of the 20th Century. This research facility will be of national significance for all who are interested in social and political change in Australia during the latter period of the 20th Century. The Saulwick Age poll archive will provide insights into Australian society which will be unmatched by information from other resources and will be open to all users from school students to tertiary researchers.Read moreRead less
Family Violence Reform: Using knowledge to develop and integrate policy and practice. Family violence is a serious threat to the health and well-being of women, children and some men, costing the economy an estimated $8.1 billion annually. This research will address national 'hot' issues, including: the effectiveness of removing perpetrators and keeping children and women in their homes; whether the early referral of children to community services impacts on the statutory child protection system ....Family Violence Reform: Using knowledge to develop and integrate policy and practice. Family violence is a serious threat to the health and well-being of women, children and some men, costing the economy an estimated $8.1 billion annually. This research will address national 'hot' issues, including: the effectiveness of removing perpetrators and keeping children and women in their homes; whether the early referral of children to community services impacts on the statutory child protection system; the integration of criminal and civil justice responses; and the effectiveness of multi-disciplinary governance arrangements in metropolitan and rural regions. The research will provide continuous feedback to policy makers and practitioners, and will establish Australia as a world leader in delivering family safety.Read moreRead less