In this paper we examine unemployment rate dispersion across the (statistical) regions in the Melbourne metropolitan area. We find that the level of dispersion is positively correlated with the unemployment rate in all the regions taken together and that the ‘elasticity’ of dispersion with...

This paper investigates the relationship between changes in the age composition of the male population and labour force participation by males in Australia over the period 1978 - 2001. The main findings are: First, that changes in the age composition are the main source of change in the...

In this paper we investigate the behaviour of net flows of persons between employment, unemployment and not in the labour force in Australia between 1979-2003 and the relationship of these flows to changes in the unemployment rate over that period. We find that: flows from unemployment to...

In this paper we look at the way in which the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) derives gross flows data from successive Labour Force Surveys. The procedure used by the ABS is described and a measure of the ‘matching rate’ obtained. We develop a simple theoretical model designed to...

We explore a new approach to understanding the evolution of the unemployment rate in Australia. Specifically, we use gross worker flows data to study the consequences of assuming that there is no unique equilibrium rate of unemployment but rather a continuum of stochastic equilibrium rates which...

This paper addresses five related questions. What are the ‘stylised facts’ about the behaviour of flows into and out of unemployment and the Unemployment Rate in Australia, especially in recessions? Why does the number of persons flowing out of Unemployment rise in recessions? How does...

This paper explores the following question - Has there been any long-run increase (or decrease) in the ‘incidence’ of long-term unemployment once we have corrected for cyclical factors? Our research leads us to conclude that: (i) the incidence of male long-term unemployment has been neither...

This paper examines the relative burden of monopoly, measured using the equivalent variation, for different household income levels. The results indicate that, whatever the size of the absolute welfare loss due to monopoly, there may be a substantial effect on the distribution of welfare....