Anne Garnett

The Australian economy has experienced a high degree of structural and technological change over the past three decades. Significant changes will continue, with the decline of the manufacturing sector, the increasing use of mechanisation and technology in the mining and agricultural sectors, and with the growing role of computerisation and robotics in the workplace in general. The effects of such changes to date have included better pay and more employment opportunities for those whose skills are in demand, but it has also meant lower relative pay and fewer job opportunities for low-skilled and unskilled workers and for workers whose jobs have been replaced by technological development. Structural change leaves workers in industries that are in long-term relative decline with fewer employment opportunities which can lead to entrenched long-term unemployment. Technological change impacts on the types of jobs available within industries and the skills required. The purpose of this paper is to examine the regional dimension to labour market change and determine which areas are likely to be most at risk as the economy continues to experience changes in sectoral mix and in the types of jobs and the skills required.

During the 2000s, Australia experienced a rapid and substantial resources boom. The impacts from this boom were particularly felt in Western Australia, which has the largest share of mining revenue as a proportion of both gross state product and exports. Some states have reported that although mining export earnings have risen due to strong commodity prices, there was less impact on the populations, labour markets and regional development than may have been expected. This paper will investigate the impact of the mining boom on the population and labour markets of Western Australia. Of particular policy relevance are skilled labour shortages and the effects that any changes in population and employment have on the remote communities where the majority of the mining activities are located.

Regional Australia has experienced significant changes in population and employment since the early 1990s. Evidence regarding these changes has often been anecdotal, with references in political and media spheres to a ‘Sea Change’ or ‘Tree Change’. There has also been considerable public discussion about the effect that the structural changes and misfortunes within the agricultural sector have had on localities in rural regions. The purpose of this paper is to provide and analyse data on regional population and employment changes since the early 1990s. It will also examine the role that the agricultural sector may have had in these changes. This will provide a basis for informed debate and analysis of population changes in regional Australia and the causes and implications of these changes.

Rural Australia comprises 37 per cent of Australia's population, and 35.5 per cent of the total workforce. Given this significance, rural population and labour markets, should be the focus of much research and analysis particularly for government policy relating to the provision of physical and social infrastructure. Yet, generally, rural labour markets have not received the attention that other labour markets in Australia have. This paper analyses the characteristics and trends in Australia's rural labour markets to identify areas of change or stability over time.