Table of contents | Data | Press material | How to obtain the report | Background documentation

This report on the recent Australian experience with activation policies contains valuable lessons for other countries that need to improve the effectiveness of employment services and control benefit expenditure. It provides an overview and assessment of labour market policies in Australia including the main institutions, benefit system, training programmes, employment incentives, and disability employment assistance.  

Australia is unique among OECD countries in that its mainstream employment services are all delivered by over 100 for-profit and non-profit providers competing in a “quasi-market”, with their operations financed by service fees, employment outcome payments, and a special fund for measures that tackle jobseekers’ barriers to employment. In most other OECD countries, these services are delivered by the Public Employment Service. In the mid 2000s, several benefits previously paid without a job-search requirement were closed or reformed, bringing more people into the effective labour force.  

Australia now has one of the highest employment rates in the OECD and this report concludes that its activation system deserves some of the credit for this relatively good performance. The Job Services Australia model, introduced in 2009, reinforced the focus on employment outcomes for highly-disadvantaged groups. This report assesses the latest model for activation and puts forward some recommendations to improve its effectiveness

       ISBN 9789264185913
       249 pages
       Look inside for free

Table of contents

Summary and recommendations
Chapter 1. The background to active labour market policies in Australia
Chapter 2. The institutional set-up of Australia’s labour market policy and employment services
Chapter 3. Job brokerage and activation strategies in Australia
Chapter 4. Unemployment and related benefits in Australia
Chapter 5. Australian active labour market programmes

Tables and figures

Download the Excel version of tables and figures  of Chapter 1 |Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Press material

• Press release

How to obtain this report

• Look inside
• Subscribers and readers at subscribing institutions can access the online edition via OECD-ilibrary, our online library.
• Non-subscribers can purchase the PDF e-book and/or paper copy via our Online Bookshop.
• Order from your local distributor
• Government officials with accounts (subscribe) can go to the "Books" tab on OLIS.
• Access by password for accredited journalists

Background documentation

• Web page on activation policies and reports for other OECD countries
• Employment policies and data publication 2012