Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s recent declaration – that wage-restrained workers need simply participate in the so-called “Great Reshuffle” to find better-paid jobs – underscores just how disconnected the federal government is from the harsh realities facing many Australian workers.
With shades of former treasurer Joe Hockey advising youth priced out of housing to “get a good job that pays good money”, Mr Frydenberg’s rhetoric drives two key misconceptions about labour markets: That workers can just pull higher-paid jobs off the shelf, and that “bad” jobs will always exist – presumably for someone else to do.
