This week on Q+A – The Great Resignation. Are Australian workers preparing to leave traditional jobs behind as they embrace a post-pandemic work life?

Traditional 9 to 5 office jobs have been cast aside by the work-from-home revolution created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In an incredibly short space of time millions of workers around the world swapped the office for their living rooms, and now that life is starting to return to normal, many employees are re-evaluating their priorities.

In the United States a record-breaking 4.3 million Americans, or 2.9% of the entire workforce, quit their jobs in August. While many people are embracing a more flexible working life, others predict that Australia won’t see the same kind of ‘worker revolt’ that’s happening in the United States. So, what lies ahead for Australia’s labour market? Do employees have a new level of bargaining power when it comes to dividing time between the home and the office?

It's not all smooth sailing, with sectors such as tourism and hospitality reporting severe staff shortages after Australia’s extended international border closure. And the unemployment rate is rising, jumping to a six-month high of 5.2% in October as thousands more people start to look for work as lockdowns ease.

The idea of a ‘rush to the regions’ has taken hold, with some opting for a ‘tree change’ lifestyle that includes remote working. Is this a short-term trend or something that’s here to stay? How do those already living in regional Australia feel about an influx of city-slickers? And does the changing nature of the workforce only serve to highlight a growing economic divide between those who can work from home and those who can’t?

Joining David Speers on the panel:

George Megalogenis, Author and journalist 
Jane Halton, Health expert and former head of Australia’s Finance Department 
Andy Penn, Telstra CEO and Managing Director 
Emma Fulu, Executive Director of the Equality Institute 
Eliza Hull, Musician, disability advocate and writer 
 
Please submit a question via our website by 9am Thursday for the chance to ask the panel.

Scroll down to watch Thursday's toughest question asked by Steve Khouw, who asked why Chinese Australians have sometimes been asked to ‘prove’ their sense of national pride. 👇

Watch Q+A Thursday at 8.30pm on ABC TV, streamed live 8.30pm AEST on ABC iview or on our website.