Small businesses take centre stage in Albanese’s pre-budget address "As we put together next month's budget, small businesses and families will again be front and centre in our thinking," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Minimum wage hike could force many small businesses to shutter: Opposition Small businesses could be forced to shutter if Australians on minimum and award wages receive a pay rise, the opposition has warned.
Chalmers “shooting for a second surplus” amid shifting budget fortunes Federal treasurer Jim Chalmers is still angling for a second surplus but warns softening commodity prices and the weakening jobs market could ruin the upside surprise.
Chalmers says budget won’t ignore the slowing economy Fighting inflation won't be the sole focus of the upcoming federal budget, the treasurer has declared, warning the slowing national economy can't be ignored.
Weakened consumer spending puts a dampener on retail sales When looking through the volatility of the past few months, retail turnover was unchanged in trend terms, reflecting a still high cost of living and elevated interest rates.
Interest rates stable in February as RBA monitors uncertain economy The RBA has kept interest rates on ice in a widely expected move that will be welcomed by financially strained borrowers.
Construction businesses seeking bigger margins to guard against uncertainty The rate of inflation may be slowing but price increases across hard-to-avoid expenses, such as insurance and housing, are keeping pressure on hip pockets.
“Pretty tough for a while”: Retail spending dips over festive season December is shaping up to be a softer month for official retail sales numbers after consumers jumped on discounted goods in November and budgets were dried up by high living costs.
Hiring across industries shows steady growth, but demand for professionals down The labour market has so far shaken off a bout of high inflation and a series of interest rate hikes through forward-looking indicators, such as job ads and vacancies, signal weakness.
Cost of living pressures see young people cut back on essentials Spending by people aged 25 to 29 on must-haves, such as groceries and pharmaceuticals, fell 3.7% over the year to September, based on Commonwealth Bank payments data.
Slowing job market projected to hit young workers the hardest A slowing pace of annual growth in payroll jobs, which tracks the number of employees on employer payrolls, points to a slowdown in labour market growth.
Australians working record number of hours to ‘stand still’ The Reserve Bank of Australia has been warning about slow productivity growth in the context of returning inflation to target in a timely matter.
