An Australian CEO’s Controversial Take on Unemployment

An Australian CEO who previously blamed the financial woes of millennials on their consumption of avocado toast now has another hot take: He wants unemployment to rise drastically in his home country because workers are too arrogant.

CEO Calls for Change in Employee Mindset

On Tuesday, Tim Gurner, the founder and head of Gurner Group, suggested that employees need to be reminded “that they work for the employer, not the other way around,” according to The Australian Financial Review.

COVID-19’s Impact on Productivity

“People decided that they didn’t really want to work so much anymore through COVID and that has had a massive issue on productivity,” he told The Australian Financial Review Property Summit in Sydney.

Less Arrogance in the Employment Market

“There’s been a systematic change where employees feel the employer is extremely lucky to have them,” he said. “They have been paid a lot to do not too much in the last few years, and we need to see that change.”

A Call for Increased Unemployment

His solution? A significant rise in joblessness. “Unemployment has to jump 40, 50%,” said the millionaire property developer. “We need to see pain in the economy.”

The Impact on Australia’s Economy

The Daily Mail noted that Australia’s current unemployment rate is 3.7%, and that a 50% increase would put an additional 275,000 Australians out of work.

Controversial Remarks and Backlash

Gurner had been widely mocked online for his avocado toast remarks in 2017. Now, with his latest claim to obnoxious avarice, he once again got burned.