Economics researcher on the road to discovery with new grant

12 Dec 2019

A research project co-led by a School of Economics researcher and administered by Monash University has received more than $130,000 in Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project funding. 

This is an image of Dr Satoshi Tanaka
Dr Satoshi Tanaka

Macroeconomics researcher Dr Satoshi Tanaka will be one of two chief investigators on the project, which will involve studying the skill composition of the Australian workforce, identifying skill shortages and proposing policy changes to the funding of tertiary education.

Dr Tanaka and his Monash University counterpart Dr Michelle Rendall will collaborate with partner investigators from the University of Minnesota and the Australian Taxation Office. 

The project was one of three Faculty of Business, Economics and Law (BEL) research projects to receive ARC Discovery Project funding.

BEL Faculty Associate Dean (Research) Professor Brent Ritchie said the recent grant success was yet another example of the Faculty’s research excellence and impact.

“Our researchers exemplify what Discovery Project grants are all about,” Professor Ritchie said.

“They are highly regarded for the quality of their research and its application to real-world situations.  

“Through these projects, our researchers will collaborate with their academic partners inside and outside of UQ to grow the knowledge base in their fields and address some of Australia’s biggest economic and social challenges.

“Congratulations to our latest Discovery Project grant recipients.”

ARC Discovery Project grant details

Dr Michelle Rendall (Monash University), Dr Satoshi Tanaka (School of Economics), Professor Faith Guvenen (University of Minnesota) and Andrew Carter (Australian Taxation Office) have received more than $130,000 to study the skill composition of the Australian workforce. 

Changes in the macroeconomic and technology environments make it hard to predict skill shortage. The project expects to develop macroeconomic models quantifying skill-mismatch of university graduates, identify sources of mismatch, highlight gender and generational differences, and estimate associated costs to Australia. The expected outcomes are to help shape policy recommendations on the funding of tertiary education in a changing economic climate. This should provide significant benefits to Australians, as policies shaping the tertiary education system affect individual income and the aggregate economy by determining labour supply and taxpayers' financial burden.

Contact: BEL Communications, media@bel.uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 9349

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