Aspects of Structural Change in Australia

Commission research paper

Aspects of Structural Change in Australia was released on 3 December 1998. Structural change and associated adjustment issues are of central concern to the Productivity Commission. The Commission is required by its charter to have regard to the Government's desire to facilitate adjustment within the economy by those people, industries and regions affected by its policy proposals. Responding to the challenge of lifting Australia's productivity performance reinforces the importance of examining adjustment related issues.

To this end, in addition to focussing on adjustment issues in its public inquiries, the Commission is undertaking a broad stream of research directed at examining the adjustment and regional consequences of economic change. It is also examining adjustment issues in the context of the operation of Australia's labour market and the conduct of competition policy.

This report is part of that stream of work. It provides factual information about structural change in Australia since the early 1970s. The areas examined include comparisons of the direction and extent of structural change in Australia and a selection of other countries, the extent and nature of adjustment among Australia's regions, and some key developments in Australia's labour market. Also see:

• Media release

Related publications include:

• Structural Adjustment - Key Policy Issues
• Structural Adjustment Exploring the Policy Issues
• Microeconomic Reform and Structural Change in Employment, Industry Commission information paper