Soaring commute times plague Aussie workers, sending bosses to jail for underpayment, and more top news

The news Australian professionals are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation in the comments below.

The amount of time capital city commuters spend traveling to work has “blown out” by 23% in the past 15 years, a new survey has found. Sydney workers endured the biggest uptick in their commute, averaging 71 minutes a day, with Brisbane workers requiring 66.7 minutes, and Melburnians needing 65.4 minutes. Elongated travel times are forcing a significant number of workers to spend more than two hours a day getting to and from work, fostering anxieties around salary, hours and “work-life balance.” Here's what people are saying.

Australian bosses who are found guilty of taking advantage of employees could end up behind bars. The federal government has confirmed it is drafting legislation targeting serious worker exploitation after a series of high-profile underpayment cases. The news instantly attracted the ire of business groups who argue that any legislation should be nuanced enough to take into consideration cases of genuine error. But a handful of industrial relations commentators contend that as it stands, Australia's system of industrial awards remains too complicated. Here's what people are saying.

Australian household incomes have gone backwards since the global financial crisis the newly-released Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia survey reports.  Several years of tepid growth mean that adjusted for inflation, the average Aussie household is $542 worse off than it was in 2009. Living standards have “stagnated” as more Australians face life below the poverty line. Depend-ence on the age pension has also risen, despite an increased focus on compulsory superannuation. More than 30% of households now rely on the age pension. Here's what people are saying.

Streaming companies such as Netflix and Stan could be compelled to produce more original Australian content. A report from Australia's consumer regulator recommended that local content rules that govern free-to-air broadcasters could also apply to emerging and increasingly powerful digital streaming platforms. Local broadcasters are held to a 55% local content ratio, while Netflix’s Australian content sat at just 1.6% in 2018. The ratio aims to stimulate investment and local jobs that would otherwise be apportioned overseas.  Here’s what people are saying. 

Members of Generation X — now in their late 30s to early 50s — should be at the peak of their careers, but new data suggests they are regularly been overlooked for promotions. Although Australia recently installed its first Gen X Prime minister in Scott Morrison, the majority of Gen X leaders — about 66% — say they received only one or no promotion in the past five years, despite showing higher levels of loyalty to their employers than millennials.  Here’s what people are saying. 

Idea of the Day: Here are some things to consider when making decisions like a CEO, says Mickey Mikitani, Rakuten CEO.

“Don’t risk bankrupting the company. Don’t do something you’ll regret.... make choices that will better society.”

What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.

— Andrew Murfett