Record numbers of Australians say they could find a new job quickly, while four out of five say their job is safe, according to a new survey by Roy Morgan Research on employment.

A majority is confident that unemployment will not rise in the next 12 months.

The findings will pose challenges for the new Rudd Labor government’s efforts to remake the Coalition’s controversial WorkChoices laws.

Record low unemployment levels has contributed to a large number of Australians (64%, up 8% since November 2006) saying there will be no change in the number of unemployed or that unemployment will fall in the coming 12 months. Just over one-quarter (26%, down 14%) of Australians expect unemployment to increase in the next 12 months.

Four-in-five Australians (80%, down 1%) who work full or part-time say their present job is safe, while 18% (up 1%) say there is a chance they may become unemployed.

Almost three quarters (72%, up 9%) of workers say that if they were to become unemployed they would be able to find a new job fairly quickly. This is the highest result Australia has recorded, beating the findings from 1988 when 69% of workers said they would be able to find a new job fairly quickly. Twenty-one per cent (down 11%) say it might take longer to find a new job, while 7% (up 2%) either wouldn’t look for a new job or did not know.

“The latest annual Morgan Poll on attitude towards employment should serve as an important benchmark for the new Rudd Government,” pollster Gary Morgan says.

These findings come from a special Morgan Poll conducted in Australia and New Zealand on attitudes towards employment in the coming 12 months. A cross-section of 1,362 men and women aged 14 or over were interviewed by telephone on October 4/5 & 11/12, 2007.