The author has been described by News Ltd as an "iconoclast", "Svengali", a pollie's "economist muse", and "pungently accurate". Fairfax says he is a "Renaissance man" and "one of Australia’s most respected analysts." Stephen Koukoulas concludes that he is "85% right", and "would make a great Opposition leader." Terry McCrann claims the author thinks "‘nuance’ is a trendy village in the south of France", but can be "scintillating" when he thinks "clearly". The ACTU reckons he’s "an enigma wrapped in a Bloomberg terminal, wrapped in some apparently well-honed abs."

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Quoted in Financial Times on Aussie labour market today

Here:

"Christopher Joye, managing director of Rismark International, a fund manager and property analyst, believes an influx of foreign workers is exactly what Australia needs.

“At 5 per cent, Australia’s unemployment rate is already at what economists and the authorities define as full employment,” he explains. “Falls below this level are likely to trigger upward pressure on wages, and raise the spectre of a wage-price spiral.”

In the face of labour shortages, one suggested solution is to reallocate workers from under-utilised sectors of the economy, such as traditional manufacturing and housing, and import more skilled labour on a temporary or permanent basis."