Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
Michael joined the University of Melbourne economics department as a Lecturer in October 2005 after completing his PhD in Economics at the University of British Columbia earlier that year. He completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics Honours) degree at the University of New South Wales in 1990, and obtained a Master of Arts (Economics) degree from the University of British Columbia in 2000. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in May 2010.
Michael’s current work focuses on empirical research in both labour economics and the economics of education. He has analyzed the relationship between individual education levels and employment earnings in Australia, and the polarisation of occupations in Australia. He has investigated the role of family background in determining the post-secondary education attendance of individuals, the effect of school principals on the education outcomes of youth, and the effect of high school graduation on the welfare recipiency of young adults. Mick has also investigated the role of occupation differences on the gender earnings gap in Australia and the US, plus the drivers of occupation differences by gender.

Only 1.5% of students swapped fields due to the 'Job-ready Graduates' fee changes
Nov 08, 2023 12:02 pm UTC| Life
In January 2021, the Morrison government changed the way university fees are set with the Job-ready Graduates scheme. The idea was to steer students into courses that would lead to the jobs of the future. So the scheme...