Jacqui Lambie issues warning to Clive Palmer, PUP senators

Posted to The Age (13/11/2014) on 13/11/2014 at 10:34 AM
Commenting on "Jacqui Lambie issues warning to Clive Palmer, PUP senators"
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/jacqui-lambie-issues-warning-to-clive-palmer-pup-senators-20141112-11leq1.html

Lambie has a big hole (gap) as big as the Australia's projected economic Black Hole. I would like to know what she is going to do with rising unemployment, not only in Tasmania but also whole of Australia.

Is Uni. worth it?

Posted to The Age (6/3/2014) on 6/3/2014 at 2:25PM
Commenting on "Is uni worth it?"
http://www.theage.com.au/small-business/managing/blogs/the-venture/is-uni-worth-it-20140305-3464f.html

Trebia's is spot on.

I was a lecturer, tutor and TAFE teacher / trainer for two decades until recently. In the last ten years the tertiary education system has become a total disaster, and in many cases, the degree / certificate is not worth the paper it's printed on.

Most people commented are either holders of degrees or have been gainfully employed for several years. Decades ago it was not easy to pass my first degree in Information Science, or now known as IT today. I undertook several additional qualification since then. I witnessed experienced first hand as a student, as well as educator standing in front of my class, that the decline in the system.

It is important to note that TAFE and college Diploma and Advanced Diploma were cheap and sneaky ways to gain entrance to university for those who did not the achieve the minimum score in VCE. Before government policy changed before 1 July 2010, many colleges and TAFEs which previously catered mainly for overseas students turned to offer degree courses so that they could still survive.

Colleges and universities cannot afford be too strict to fail many students, and guidelines tend to be overlooked. High failure rate generates bad reputation for being too strict to pass, and therefore it is disastrous for business.

Growth in industries is far lower than the growth in higher education graduate numbers, even discounting those who leave employment due to retirement or other reasons. It does not take Einstein to work out why there are so many unemployed graduates.

Do exit interviews work?

Posted to The Age (5/2/2014) on 5/2/2014 at 12:20PM
Commenting on "Do exit interviews work?"
http://www.theage.com.au/small-business/franchising/do-exit-interviews-work-20131127-2ya8e.html

Many interviews including exit interviews are lip service. Unfortunately, the interviewers may not have good knowledge of what's going on within the organisation, either they are an external agent or someone who is so "remote" from the real situation within the organisation.

An exit interview is only useful if the interviewee's certain useful feedback, views or opinions are taken seriously, investigated and hopefully implemented, and not treated as insults or destructive criticisms.

It also matters how the interview is conducted. The presence of a particular interviewer may not permit the interviewee to express fair and frank opinions.

In view of an unbiased comment, I feel that employees should never bottle things up until the last minute of departure. To achieve working in a harmonious and happy workplace is to have things trashed out before the environment becomes unbearable. Good employees should pass on any good idea or suggestion for improvement to their superior or even someone higher in rank, at staff meeting or one-on-one discussion.

It may not be the organisation's fault or problem. The departing employees may not be suitable or compatible to work in such environment having different culture.

Carbon tax inflation fears evaporate

Posted to The Age (24/7/2013) on 24/7/2013 at 6:26 PM
Comment on "Carbon tax inflation fears evaporate"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/carbon-tax-inflation-fears-evaporate-20130724-2qj4q.html

The sky has not fallen, but many roofs will and people will not have roofs over their heads. The set of data represents The Beauty and The Beast. This may lead to another rate cut during the next RBA meeting, but the carbon tax definitely causes the rise in prices for essential utilities not only affecting ordinary consumers, but also industries employing the workforce of Australia.

With rising running costs, Australian produced products will be less price competitive in the world market, and therefore less export to other countries and more imports from countries which can supply cheaper alternatives. To balance the companies' books, wages will have to be reduced, leading to staff cut and creating higher unemployment.

Tony Abbott was a bit over enthusiastic to predict the Armageddon too soon, but the carbon tax, speaking realistically, will bring much misery to those who do not have backup reserves to live on.

Surprise drop in jobless rate

Posted to The Age (6/12/2012) on 6/12/2012 at 12:25 PM
Commenting on "Surprise drop in jobless rate

http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/surprise-drop-in-jobless-rate-20121206-2awzn.html

No wonder people say statistics lies. If each full-time job is replaced by 5 part-timers, the actual scenario is negative not positive. The total earned by these 5 part-timers is far less than 1 full-time employee, because most part-timers are casual who are not entitled to sick leave, super, and other benefits.

Besides all the high profile business closure, more proof of economic slowdown is evident if you just walk down some suburban shopping strips, Dockland, shopping centres, and look up to some commercial buildings in the CBD. I would like to challenge such unrealistic optimism, and reliability of the mathematical model and definition of employment/unemployment rates.

Many real estate agents' representatives and TAFE teachers have fallen victims to the current debacle. Many casuals are never included in the calculations, and their rise and fall in numbers create distortion to the statistics. The number of volunteers has also increased for two reasons. First many retrenched or unemployed keep themselves sane by contributing their excessive spare time, and two these people hope to add something extra in their résumés to make them look more presentable instead of showing a period of absence in employment history.

Wake up all those in Canberra ivory tower; do something now before the next sand storm comes; you may not have the chance to pull your ostrich heads up that had been buried in it for those years.

What young people fear most - and it's not the environment

Posted to The Age (5/12/2012) on 5/12/2012 at 10:30 AM
Commenting on "What young people fear most - and it's not the environment"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/what-young-people-fear-most--and-its-not-the-environment-20121204-2atc5.html

How many of the respondents are out of work with or without teenage children? If you have never been unemployed or struggled to survive from hands-to-mouth, you have no idea what you are talking about.

I have worked hard and actively participated in the workforce until a few months ago. I choose to wind down a bit. I had been young once. I went through past recessions starting from the 70's. No matter how tough those days were, I could find work. Indeed I worked three jobs, 7 days and 6 nights for months during University break, to keep me alive and save up for fees and expenses. For the rest of the time, I worked weekends. I rented a small store room in a share house near Melbourne University. Survival came before lifestyle.

Paul Keating created the smart dole queue, and in fact this will get longer each year. Lack of skilled tradespeople pushed up prices and wages, and this started a chain reaction. In the name of lowering labour costs, advanced developed nations handed over years of R&D, and trillions of dollars worth of blood-sweat-and-tears to China, making many Chinese very wealthy, and probably has the smartest workforce. Many factory workers work on hi-tech machinery and equipment, while we can only muck around with simulated diagrams on an iPad or computer.

For the concerned young people, your hands worth more than your brains and mouths! Don't despair, go to learn a trade instead of getting a worthless diploma!

Auctions looking up as rates go down

Posted to The Age (4/12/2012) on 4/12/2012 at 4:39 PM
Commenting on "Auctions looking up as rates go down"
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/auctions-looking-up-as-rates-go-down-20121204-2asok.html

The only way we can see a real recovery in the real estate industry is not a rate cut, but good news in the employment front.

Almost every week, we read or hear about either companies going down the gurgler or jobs being outsourced overseas. What so big deal with another $40 or $100 less in loan repayment when all the other utility bills or rates and charges keep going up, leaps-and-bounce by more than 25 percentage point each time. Such increases swallow up any positive cut by the RBA and thankfully from the bank.

Without job security, there is no certainty in one's future, let alone one with a family. Those at the ivory tower with 6-figure pay cheque cannot understand the pain and suffering of the "working families" or very soon the "non-working families". For goodness, it is time the pollies grow up and stop the idiotic squabbles in the Parliament, and come up with constructive policies and strategies to curb the decline of employment.

The Chinese are dealing with real stuff hands-on, with R&D knowledge and blue-prints handed to them free-of-charge from the so-called smart Western nations including Australia, while our university graduates know basically nothing more than just theories and designs on papers. Many Chinese factory workers are working on hi-tech machines while we still ponder when we will have the opportunity to see one.

Is housing recovery just a pipe dream?

Posted to The Age (19/11/12) on 20/11/2012 at 1:45 AM
Commenting on "Is housing recovery just a pipe dream?"
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/is-housing-recovery-just-a-pipe-dream-20121118-29k61.html

The up swing of the current situation is inevitable. It is not due to the reasons MJ have given, but the bank vaults are bursting with cash and they need it to generate more to satisfy their greed.

During the recession of the 70s, Australia was still at the forefront in many industries and wheat export. Many parts of the world were underdeveloped. The second recession was rescued by the good fortune that European countries spending like no tomorrow using debt. China became a rising star, manufacturing ferociously to satisfy the world's hunger for materialistic needs. The "Western" countries stupidly handed years of R&D to China to produce goods at low prices, creating a pool of unemployed due to factory closure.

Many Chinese factory workers are likely to be smarter than our engineers and builders because they have the inside knowledge and hands on practical experience. That brought great wealth and prosperity to many Chinese, not dissimilar to the early days of the Western countries. Is over dependence on Asian investment good? Definitely not, for the Asians.

Technology advancement creates online demand and opportunities for overseas manufacturers and service providers. This will fuel unemployment for many Australians, in particular the people who are supposedly to be in their prime ageing between 30 and 40. Without employment certainty and security, they will wake up not from the Australian dream but Australian nightmare, without a roof over their head!

Tale of two cities a happy story for inner suburbs

Posted to The Age (27/10/2012) on 27/10/2012 at 4:05AM
Commenting on "Tale of two cities a happy story for inner suburbs"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/property/tale-of-two-cities-a-happy-story-for-inner-suburbs-20121026-28b7t.htm

Whatever studies undertaken or predictions made for the next two decades cannot be trusted with a six-foot pole. Technology has changed and will continue to change the employment pattern to such unimaginable extent that even futurists and crystal-ball reading gypsies have problems foretelling what is ahead, even just for a decade.

In late 60's and early 70's, Carlton Association campaigned so hard to save Carlton, an inner suburb next to Melbourne CBD, from being declared as a slump. Brunswick and Richmond were not better off then.The houses were small, and many were not well lit.

Decentralisation moved the population to the outskirt of CBD, where factories were erected to produce cars, machineries, food processing, etc. By then footwear and clothing industries began to decline and eventually died after tariff was removed. Brick veneer homes were built and a generation of middle income class established. Decentralisation was so successful that the CBD went into a tail spin, and drastic efforts were made to lure people back.

Manufacturing and related industries employed a lot of people. Frankston and Dandenong were the new rich suburbs. Good time needs good money, and our labour cost could not compete with then backward developing countries. Very soon they were handed over "free" high-tech knowledge by the developed and advanced countries. Factories began to close, and set off a chain reaction up-stream and down-stream industries.

Online businesses will have the same impact on brick-and-mortar retail outlets. In addition, online education will produce the same fallout to the teaching sectors.

The question then is "where will employment be found?". Pessimistically speaking, CBD will no longer be the hub, and travelling to work in the CBD will be the thing of the past!

Economy sheds 27,000 jobs

Posted to The Age (12/7/12) on 12/7/12 at 12:34 PM
Commenting on "Economy sheds 27,000 jobs"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/economy-sheds-27000-jobs-20120712-21xf2.html

Many casual workers especially students, who work for cash-in-hand, have never been reported and therefore have not been counted in the statistics. Many of these jobs are now gone, but have not reflected in the unemployment rate.

If a full time job for an employed person is now turned into a part-time / casual position but taken up by 2 persons, the total hours in now reduced to only 2 paid hours, this in fact nonsensically reduced the unemployed by 1. If this involves three part-timers / casual, the unemployed figure is reduced by 2, and so on.

A lot of older people are keen and looking for employment, but they are the neglected one. In addition, many unemployed are suffering from depression and medically unfit to seek employment.

For goodness sake, don't kid the innocent public with all these mumbo-jumbo crap. The whole statistical calculation must be revamped so that the real pain and suffering are reflected, otherwise realistic and humane policies cannot be made or formulated.

Top of worry list: work, work, work

Posted to The Age (8/5/2012) on 8/5/2012 at 2:34 PM
Commenting on "Top of worry list: work, work, work"
http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/management/top-of-worry-list-work-work-work-20120504-1y47u.htm

It was just one of those hectic month-end years ago that the mainframe computer system chose such auspicious to go down. I was managing the computer department then. The phones were ringing, and users were asking for their hardcopy reports. I could not do anything to get the system up and running.

My MD saw me having my cup of coffee, looking very relaxed, and asked curiously why I looked so calm and showed no sign of being stressed.

I replied, "I can do a great job in designing software, managing my staff, getting the department running smoothly, but I can't perform miracles. I am not an engineer, and I have to leave it to the expert to fix the hardware before I can continue my work. There's no point in getting myself stressed over this"

The case for RBA tipsters being wrong – again (Part 2 of 2 Posts)

Posted to The Age (5/3/2012) on 5/3/2012 at 1:02 PM
Commenting on "The case for RBA tipsters being wrong – again"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-case-for-rba-tipsters-being-wrong--again-20120305-1uc2k.html

The rate will remain unchanged due to societal pressure rather than economic rationalism.

The unemployment rate will not change because of the inaccurate model used for calculation, and the seasonally adjusted data are just as rubbery due to "goods-dumping" from China.

The case for RBA tipsters being wrong - Again (Part 1 of 2 Posts)

Posted to The Age (5/3/2012) on 5/3/2012 at 12:44 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "The case for RBA tipsters being wrong – again"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-case-for-rba-tipsters-being-wrong--again-20120305-1uc2k.html

The current model used to calculate unemployment rate is unrealistic and unreliable, and should not be taken into consideration for RBA to decide rate changes.

The model is unrealistic because anyone works for one hour paid employment during the survey period is considered employed. If that same person works for 35 one-hour jobs, he is in fact equivalent to a full-time worker, but instead he is counted 35 times.

It is unreliable because seasonally adjusted is not no longer valid. Many people purchase goods when sales are on, including Christmas items after Christmas, summer fashion after summer, etc. The latter is true, because most goods are sourced from China, and there is a two-season difference between China and Australia.

What is more concerning is that when travel expenditure is down, this is a reflection more on air travel. Unfortunately air tickets are made up of two components, the actual cost of ticket and the fuel surcharge. Many airline companies are living in the lah-lah land by slashing the ticket price continuously to an unprofitable level just to attract extra patronage. This price slashing is not to curb inflation, but for survival. It is, therefore incorrect to be used as a determinant variable for RBA.

Tough times for young job seekers (Post 2 of 2)

Posted to The Age (2/3/2012) on 2/3/2012 at 3:22 PM
Commenting on "Tough times for young job seekers"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/tough-times-for-young-job-seekers-20120302-1u721.html

Since Hawke and Keating years, young people are encouraged to go for paper qualification in University, and even now, the Government is so proud of the increase in University enrolment. The reasons for the increase are of twofold: one is due to the lowering of marks to gain entrance to higher education, and second, young people cannot find employment and hence are forced to pursue further education after high school.

At the vocational trade front, Australia is still crying out for more tradespeople many of whom have retired or are retiring. The shortage drives up cost of labour in construction, plumbing, connection and maintenance of household utilities, etc.

The smart Alec politicians want to make Australia to have a highly educated and qualified workforce. By population proportion, when Australia churns out one university graduate, USA churns out 15 and China 62.

Workforce needs work! Closure of factories takes away not only the full time jobs for the working families, but also apprenticeships and employment for the young people who need the starting point for future career path.

It is not that the young unemployed are choosy; just that some of the workplaces are inaccessible by public transport, and they may not speak the language to enable them to service special racial clients.

By the way, I'm a very qualified matured age unemployed, but fortunate enough to survive mortgage-free!

Tough times for young job seekers (Post 1 of 2)

Posted to The Age (2/3/2012) on 2/3/2012 at 2:56 PM
Commenting on "Tough times for young job seekers"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/tough-times-for-young-job-seekers-20120302-1u721.html

It is a myth to think that when one is prepared to work, and with certain qualifications, there is no problem in getting a job, or any job.

When one is in employment, it is easier to look for another job. If one is out of employment or has never worked before, there is a Buckley chance to get one.

Not all young people have problems with attitude (a term I still don't quite understand), and not many can afford iPhone. Some even have to resort to prostitution to earn enough to survive, and hopefully get out of the rut when they finish their study.

I am not a young job seeker; I had the opportunity to work three jobs to get through my University. I shared with several students renting a house in Faraday Street, Carlton when it was almost declared as a slump. I could afford to take on jobs that paid little, because the shared rent was minimal, close to Victorian market, did not have to travel to University and stayed in the air-conditioned library to do my homework until it closed late at night.

These days, the cost of living is very high and hourly pay rate is low. The comparative ratio is disproportionate. I know of a master-degree-graduate in International Banking working as cashier in a restaurant, a bachelor in architecture at Bunning's garden centre as sales staff, but many unemployed who have lost their self-esteem and confidence.

Four Corners has Labor sides on edge

Posted to The Age (9/2/2012) on 9/2/2012 at 12:14 PM
Commenting on "Four Corners has Labor sides on edge"
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/four-corners-has-labor-sides-on-edge-20120208-1rezy.html

The strategy Liberal Party needs to adopt now is to "Conquer and Divide". Each Labor MP can serve only one master, either Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd, and therefore, for each supporting group, the number of MPs is less than the total number of Liberal MPs working as a team.

If any Liberal MP is stupid enough to start infighting now, they should be sent to Christmas Island and never to be released! Liberal's infighting will cost the party missing the boat to win the next election, presumably an early one.

For the Liberal's leader, too much negativity can lead to voters' revolt. Prove to me why I should vote for the Party if I perceive the Party is nothing more than just a bunch of sour grapes, and cannot think of anything positive to say, such as how the Party can bring employment and prosperity back.

Unemployment and trade deficits are not just numbers. They represent jobs that bring home the bacon. They are the roots of many family breakup, depression, and other human sufferings.

Counting eggs before they hatch (Part 4 of 4)

Posted to The Age (13/1/2011) on 13/1/2011 at 2:59 PM
Commenting on “Counting eggs before they hatch”
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/blogs/domain-investor-centre-blog/counting-eggs-before-they-hatch-20120110-1pt5n.html

It is frightening to read more and more reports about companies sacking or retrenching staff. These reports do not only fuel public unease about job insecurity, but also national economic uncertainty. Many potential home buyers will defer their purchasing decisions, and investors will reassess whether their investing in properties could attract tenants if job opportunities dwindle.

The existing Labor government make mistakes after mistakes wasting good money on things that don’t create more employment. The Government introduce taxes which bring more hardship to businesses that need to compete with cheap imports and online market. The flow on effect creates more hardship to the defenceless – Australian public who have to face high utility costs.

Real estate industry is a very large industry (may be RP Data can supply some statistics on this), and it is not a static, stand-alone one. Including all the other related industries, they are the largest employers in any nation. The Government need to have a cold hard look on their policies and review how these can impact on the real estate industry.

End Part 4 of 4

Shares gain ahead of break

Posted to The Age (23/12/2011) on 23/12/2011 at 3:08 PM
Commenting on "Markets Live: Shares gain ahead of break"
http://www.theage.com.au/business/markets/markets-live-shares-gain-ahead-of-break-20111223-1p7pn.html

Who are pushing up the share prices? If the market is so healthy, why do we see the line shoots up sharply, and then comes up again, after which the line fluctuates erratically?

Unless you are a day trader wanting to make a killing in just few hours, the medium to long term outlook cannot justify rising markets around the world.

How can the US unemployment rate dropped and confidence returned for no logical reasons? The payroll tax cut and the removal of long term unemployment benefit that expire at the end of the year, plus the soldiers returning from the withdrawal are likely to reverse the unemployment rate in months to come. The possible visible light at the end of the tunnel is the rise in arm sales of the refurbished military weapons to Iraq and surrounding countries; a move that will really upset the Russians.

It is plausible that the initial drop in healthcare spending was a sacrifice in order to pay for other daily essential expenses and save up for rainy days, viz. loss of employment. The subsequent rise was likely due to deterioration of medical condition for those who have suspended their visit to medical practitioners and on medication. The Christmas stress can only worsen the situation.

To everyone, have a joyous and safe Christmas and happy new year.

Julia Gillard: not becalmed, just calm (Post 1 of 3, Part 3 of 3)

Posted to The Age (18/12/2011) on 18/12/2011 at 12:36 PM (Not published by newspaper)
Commenting on "Julia Gillard: not becalmed, just calm"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/julia-gillard-not-becalmed-just-calm-20111217-1p04p.html

The second largest export earner, international education industry, worth over 18 billion dollars has turned in ashes by the not-so-smart policies. This is a godsend for Great Britain, Canada and United States to pick up all the international students. Just look around the CBD's and she'll see "For Lease" sign posted outside the empty multi-storey office buildings once used as campuses. She should also ask those former teachers and trainers from private and TAFE colleges what they are doing with their spare time, or get Alan Fell to probe further why shortage of taxi drivers was not a serious problem during the past decade.

The sudden rise in high-ed intake is not due to good marketing or improved education system. The last of the overseas students were forced to pursue higher degrees, and soon this feeder will dry up in 2012. In fact enrolments in private and TAFE colleges are so low, and together with the funding cut, more jobs will be lost not only in the education industry, but also the real estate industry and industries required to service the 300,000 students. The negative flow-on effect is ginormous.

Part 3 of 3

Julia Gillard: not becalmed, just calm (Post 1 of 3, Part 2 of 3)

Posted to The Age (18/12/2011) on 18/12/2011 at 12:34 PM (Not published by newspaper)
Commenting on "Julia Gillard: not becalmed, just calm"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/julia-gillard-not-becalmed-just-calm-20111217-1p04p.html

It is a noble idea to prepare students for careers, but where are the employment opportunities for those equipped with diplomas and degrees? Many reform policies are short-term policies and do not create jobs, let alone giving false hope to establish careers.

More and more factories have been closed, and jobs outsourced overseas. Online purchases from overseas could have been taxed and yet not done so. Collecting GST from these purchases can bring in hundreds of millions of dollars; good enough to fund some small infrastructure projects and create jobs. In the meantime, retailers will be able to survive the tough times and retain workers. While she is going to collect a big pay packet, she ignores the plight of the small business people. Is she going to wait until retailers collapse one after another before she realises we have a serious problem on hand? Unfortunately, many Labor members always treat business people as big bad wolves. This is probably ingrained in Julia Gillard’s mind, and as a result, she lacks the ability to understand the relationship between jobs and employers.

As some futurists may say, "The future is here". Offices and schools have no walls or boundaries anymore. Not only the office workers will soon be a thing of the past, but also the professionals; many will be joining the dole queue. This is a reality check; if workers or staff can work remotely from home, why can't work be done by much cheaper labour force overseas?

Part 2 of 3