Policy interventions for the future of work: do Australians want government compensation, guidance, or investment to manage technological change?

Abstract

This paper examines how Australian attitudes toward the future of work shape support for policy interventions, drawing on nationally representative survey data (n = 1,035). We focus on three dimensions of technological change: displacement, deskilling, and de-intensification, and analyse how these expectations map onto preferences for investment, compensation, and steering policies. Our findings show that those concerned about displacement support a broad mix of responses, including compensation through basic income, steering through taxation of technology companies, and investment in education and training, but not limits on working hours. Concerns about deskilling are distinctively associa..