About Us

In today’s fast changing environment, where technology and globalisation are disrupting the knowledge and practice that guides evidence-based policy, experts with the skill to apply innovative research methodologies are critical.

The Future of Employment and Skills (FES) research centre brings together a multi-disciplinary team of economists and sociologists with a long-standing reputation in conducting high quality impartial research that addresses contemporary economic and social policy issues on work, education, and health in Australia and overseas.

We specialise in conducting path-breaking applied social and economic research to explain and solve contemporary human capital problems and help design and evaluate policy related to work, education and health. We also specialise in the design, collection and analysis of large complex survey data sets and broader multidisciplinary evidence bases. FES researchers have been working together as a team for many years and their extensive research reports and other publications have helped inform and shape contemporary Australian policy.

Our people

Our research areas

• Work, skills and labour market mismatch
• Ageing, aged care and its workforces
• NDIS, disability and its workforces
• Health and its workforces
• Evaluation of major national policies
• Technology, skills and the future of work
• Education and Training
• Large and complex data collections
• Multi-discipline and multi-method public policy research
• Indigenous research
• Industrial relations

Our methodologies 

• Applied economics, sociology, data, and policy
• Complex statistical and econometric analysis
• Qualitative research methods for evidence collection and analysis
• Mixed-method research and integration of data including administrative data
• Design, collection and analysis of large complex survey data sets
• Workforce profiling and scenario building
• Stakeholder engagement and research co-design
• Economic and social impact evaluation of policies
• Producing reports that are policy-relevant, succinct and clearly written