Sergio Leone’s classic spaghetti western may have attracted a slightly different audience had it been given the title of The Good, the Bad and the Sexy, and no doubt, many would have an opinion on which part Clint Eastwood would have played.
When it comes to the current state of Australian employment however, there is indeed good news, bad news, and ahem, sexy news.
The Good
According to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of employed people in Australia rose in April, leaving the unemployment rate at 5.5%. Both full and part time jobs increased, with the rise in total employment mainly driven by increases in female full time jobs.
The largest increases in terms of actual numbers were seen in New South Wales and Victoria, while the largest percentage increase was in South Australia. The only state to decrease in employment was Tasmania.
It should also be pointed out that the unemployment rate in Australia has now stayed below 6% for almost ten years. Not bad, considering the big fat GFC that fell in the middle of that decade.
The Bad
With the good, generally comes the bad, and in this case, it’s traffic. While no one likes getting stuck in traffic, a new survey by NRMA suggests traffic congestion is hurting work productivity, making workers late, tired and sick.
Of the 1000 businesses in NSW and ACT surveyed for the latest BusinessWise Congestion report, 37% said bad traffic made employees less productive, while 37% said it contributed to worker fatigue.
Thirty-two per cent said traffic congestion caused staff to arrive late to work (although, surely traffic causing lateness would be a given), and one in ten businesses said traffic caused staff to take extra sick days (“Sorry, I can’t come into work today because I can’t face the traffic on the M5”).
The Sexy
What would a story about employment be without a section on sex? According to a national survey commissioned by ‘infidelity site’ VictoriaMilan.com.au, Aussies have some very strong ideas about which professions are sexy, and which are definitely not.
The survey of 1000 Australians found that women really do love a man in uniform, with soldiers, emergency services personnel and tradies taking the top spots, while men have more varied tastes, finding women who work in sporting professions, medicine, and hospitality the sexiest.
Oddly enough, being unemployed was found to be sexier than a range of paid professions, including sales, science, HR, and IT. Although the survey doesn’t explain why, apparently Centrelink cheques are sometimes more attractive than paychecks on the sexy scale.
When it comes to the most unsexy jobs, it seems that those in insurance, manufacturing and community services are destined to be unlucky in love, along with anyone who works in a call centre or in consulting. Bit of a shame for them, really.
Hottest Jobs for Boys
Soldier
Emergency Service Personnel
Tradesmen/Construction Workers
Sportsmen
Doctors
Hottest Jobs for Girls
Sport/Recreation
Medical Workers
Hospitality/Tourism
Students
Lawyers
Most Unattractive Jobs
Insurance
Manufacturing
Community Services
Call Centres and Customer Service
Consulting and Strategy
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