Long gone are the 80’s where the economy was promising enough for every graduate to secure a career in their chosen field. According to recent statistics half of new graduates in US are jobless or underemployed. Working in waiter or waitress, bartender, retail clerk positions they struggle paying off mounting student loans.

The idea behind the study by PayScale and Millenial Branding, leading software and research companies, is to unveil how the young tech savvy, yet underemployed Gen Y generation is changing the workforce in US.

Over 63% of today’s 18-29 year olds hold a bachelor’s degree and their most lucrative majors earned are across various engineering fields. Most commonly reported jobs for young workers don’t necessarily require a college degree, for example merchandise displayer, clothing sales representative. For some, sending hundreds of resumes a week hasn’t helped finding an entry-level position of their field.

Study found that Gen Y is more dynamical, they are more drawn to smaller companies, because they are flexible, don’t set limits to social media use at work and they embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.

Skills centering on online marketing and social media, tight jeans and iPad describe the traditional job seeker who prefers a company that let’s their workers stay online.

Median years with employer are now limited to just two years, compared to 10 years for the silent generation, born between 1920-s and 1940-s.

Based on the results, it appears that employment agencies charged about more than $100 million worth of false claims in the last two years. Part of these claims includes $25.3 million to promote agencies to source employment for their clients.

Robert Butterworth oversaw the audit and said there is significant evidence that many claims are unsupported and unconfirmed. He added that there is incidence of poor administration.

The review covered provider-brokered outcomes or those fees paid by an employment agency to look for employment for a Centrelink recipient instead of just providing assistance to the person. More than 160 similar fees have been claimed by other job providers using the same scheme.

Butterworth said that although the review only covered provider-brokered outcomes, he concludes that the behavior for others is just about the same.

Last March, Employment Participation Minister Kate Ellis said she would implement changes to decrease the number of fees by half.

With the Butterworth report, Ellis reiterated the agency’s commitment in implementing the recommendations stated in the report.

Sources said that working around the loopholes has allowed these practices to thrive. These include false claims on the Employment Pathways Fund. The fund is accessed to subsidize for new clothing or training for job hunters with the aim of preparing them for a new job.

A study conducted by the Queensland University of Technology revealed that half of the sexual harassment complaints resulted to a financial settlement of only $7,000 and below.

The amount is surprising considering that high-profile cases like the David Jones case awarded $850,000 to Kristy Fraser-Kirk.

Paula McDonald said money is not often the victim’s motivation when filing a sexual harassment case. She added that when a man is the victim, the perpetrator is also most likely to be another man.

McDonald is the co-author of the report and an associate professor of Queensland University of Technology. The report was co-written by University of South Australia’s Sara Charlesworth.

The study took a look at sexual harassment cases in the workplace filed over six months in 2009. These covered formal complaints filed in the Australian Human Rights Commission, and state and territory anti-discrimination commissions.

The study showed that out of 284 formal complaints, only 266 were accepted by the commissions. From the 266 cases, only 50 percent were settled.

McDonald, however, noted that settlements do not automatically mean financial. Settlement can also be in the form of an apology, acknowledgment of the incidence or statement of regret.

The tracking showed that 10 percent of the cases resulted to the perpetrator resigning from his job or was dismissed by the employer.

Most notable is that 60 percent of the complainants left the company or was also dismissed by the company. McDonald said this is an alarming statistic because it appeared that the complainant suffered twice—one, the sexual harassment and two, resignation or dismissal from the company.

The median financial settlement of $7,000 doesn’t seem worth it.

Its program for migrant workers has recently undergone changes in policies and adjustments. As a result, foreign employment and permanent skilled migration has increased four times its numbers in the last 15 years. 

Among the changes the country has undergone included allowing skilled workers from to get temporary work licences upon arrival to Australia. The country has also introduced an Enterprise Migration Agreement addressing large-scale projects. With these changes done, professionals no longer have to wait to gain overseas qualifications to work in Australia. 

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the changes were set in motion in order to meet skill shortages in the country. The process, however, took decades to be set in place. 

Skilled migration programs in Australia are mostly privatized. Since 2009, about 70 percent of these migrants are employer-sponsored, giving preference to arrivals of temporary skilled migrants over permanent migrant status. 

Most private companies seek professionals from English-speaking countries in the following industries: nursing, computing, business, engineers, and sales and marketing. 

The Australian government, meanwhile, prefers workers from Asian countries from these industries: accounting, computing, architecture, engineering and nursing. 

A demographer from Monash University posed some objections to these policy changes, saying that Australians seeking employment may find no opportunity available for them. The changes can also to foreign workers being exploited when it comes to wages and working conditions. 

A Minister of Immigration spokesman, however, said that recognizing migrant workers is essential to maintaining good economic standing. Exploitations and violations of their employers will be penalized and dealt with accordingly.

Under the present system, only parents with disabled kids under 18 or those with children that are not yet in school are allowed to have flexible work hours. Employers, however, can reject the work request if there is sufficient business basis and the decision is unappealable. 

Bandt’s proposal provides workers to request flexible work hours although employers still have the right to deny requests. Carers, on the other hand, are given more leeway as businesses can only deny requests if there are serious business reasons. 

The work arrangement is similar to that implemented in countries like the Netherlands, Germany and Britain. 

The Australian Industry Group, however, expressed its reservation on the proposal, saying businesses are facing tough times. The group also reasoned that many businesses in Australia provide work options to their employees. 

Genevieve Vaccaro, Ai Group workplace relations advisor, said that it would be better if an open dialogue is conducted between employers and workers. 

ACTU legal and industrial officer Belinda Tkalcevic disputed Ai Group’s statement, saying many workers don’t request for flexible work arrangements because employers are not interested at all. 

Carers Australia also expressed its concern that employers may refuse to hire female carers because of the flexible work arrangement. Australian Industry Group said this view is not a reflection of the group’s sentiment.

940 staff was surveyed for this study. Two-thirds of the respondents said they experienced hostility from customers in the past six months. Others said they experienced aggression. 

Rehabilitation services, Child Support Agency, and Centrelink were rated highest in terms of customer aggression. Centrelink is the government department that deals with welfare payments. Customs agencies and Medicare workers also experience high levels of aggression from their customers. 

Interactions with customers include face-to-face and phone conversations. 60 percent of the respondents said they received abuse over the phone while the rest said they experienced face-to-face aggression. 

One staff answered the survey, saying that a customer threatened him with physical harm, saying he was once imprisoned for murder. Other workers said their offices had to hire security guards to help keep angry customers at bay and maintain order in the offices. 

Staff and budgets cut didn’t help the situation. The government has imposed budget cuts to save money. Employees of the Department of Human Services have been reduced to 40,000 in 2011. The number is expected to go down to 38,000 this year until 2013. 

The cuts have also resulted to work backlogs and slower decision-making process. These delays have certainly contributed to customers’ hostility and aggression to workers. 

Nadine Flood, National Secretary of the Community of Public Sector Union, said the report is an eye-opener. Flood added that these issues must be addressed soon.

HSU has figured in several controversies involving workplace breaches and financial mismanagement. The body is also facing investigation from Fair Work Australia and police probes in Victoria and NSW.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the decision sends a strong message to HSU officials to come up with better governance procedures. Kearney added that the decision also aims to protect union members, adding that the body has zero tolerance on members getting involved in corruption issues. 

The suspension of HSU meant that it will not be represented in the executive and ACTU Congress in May this year. 

Although the decision to suspend HSU is not unanimous, ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence said the body voted “overwhelmingly.” Unions Tasmania, HSU and small unions grouping were the ones who voted against the suspension of HSI. 

Lawrence said that the suspension does not make any suggestion of guilt. The body also recognizes HSU’s efforts to address the issues. 

He stressed that the decision is not merely a publicity stunt but a strong message to their ranks to remain faithful to their duties. 

HSU represents more than 60,000 health workers in Australia. Its membership includes community and hospital health workers. The Australian Council of Trade is the governing body that represents workers in Australia. 

ACTU said it will continue to monitor the developments of the situation. The body also said that it is open to discussing the future of HSU if the need arises.

Apple’s audit was conducted by Fair Labour Association, a non-profit organization that audits overseas suppliers and ensures that good working practices are implemented. FLA usually caters to fashion and apparel companies. Apple is the first tech company to join the organization.

Foxconn’s work practice is in direct violation of Chinese laws. The audit also found that the factories run by Foxconn also extend operations to overtime in an effort to make more money.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, the official company name of Foxconn, has made a commitment to reduce working hours to a maximum of 49 hours a week. Hon Hai also agreed to increase workers’ hourly salaries despite the reduction of work hours.

This is not the first time that Foxconn figured in controversy. Last year, the factories had an incidence of seven deaths and nine suicide attempts. More than 350 of its workers also threatened to commit mass suicide after Foxconn rejected their proposal for a salary increase.

FLA chief executive officer Auret van Heerden said that it’s a common practice for employees in developing countries to work overtime because this brings in more money. Many workers don’t see it as inhuman and instead, appreciate the opportunity to have steady income.

FLA said that workers in the Foxconn factories earn from US$347 to US$437 monthly.

The 29-year-old unemployed single mother is living in rural West Virginia and just days after a US soldier killed 16 innocent Afghan civilians, Lynndie maintains:

Their lives are better. They got the better end of the deal… They weren’t innocent. They’re trying to kill us, and you want me to apologise to them? It’s like saying sorry to the enemy.

England became notorious in 2004 when she appeared in photos that showed detainees with hoods over their heads, being threatened by dogs, forced to masturbate, or piled on top of each other in a detainee sandwich.

At the time, US President George W. Bush conceded that the scandal shamed the US, and was a disaster for the war effort.

England was dishonourably discharged from the army after serving a year-and-a-half in prison. She has been sending out resumes, but can’t even land a job flipping burgers for the clown.

The proud Lynndie does, however, show remorse for the US soldiers who became victims of the ensuing reprisals claiming:

I think about it all the time – indirect deaths that were my fault. Losing people on our side because of me coming out on a picture.

I suspect the issue is a little more complex than that, but if anyone has any work available for an Army trained supervisor that doesn’t require any profoundly insightful witticisms, please contact us and we will put you in contact with Ms England.