Delegates and speakers from across the world will converge on Newcastle tomorrow to discuss recent labour market developments and government policy challenges at a time of rising underemployment and skills shortages.

The annual two-day conference joins the 9th Path to Full Employment Conference and 14th National Conference on Underemployment and is hosted by the University of Newcastle's Centre of Full Employment and Equity (CofFEE).

The conference will feature a range of presentations by academics, policy makers, service providers and social activists from across Australia and the world.

Thursday's keynote speaker is Tom Uren AO, former Whitlam Government Minister for Urban and Regional Development. He will discuss the opportunities that may arise as a result of the recent change of federal government, and the renewed capacity to reform commonwealth-state relations.

Mr Uren will also discuss his new book on his life in politics and in the community.

CofFEE Director, Professor Bill Mitchell, will discuss his views on the Howard Government's employment policies. Professor Mitchell will address the afternoon session of the conference.

Joan Muysken from the University of Maastrict in the Netherlands will discuss the rise of underemployment in Australia and the changing relationship between the labour market and the inflation process.

Other sessions across the day will look at innovative research into job creation schemes to stimulate regional Australia, lessons from European labour market policy changes, and the future of Workchoices.

A full conference program can be viewed at: http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee/conferences/2007/

The conference is being held on Thursday 6 December and Friday 7 December on Level 2 of the General Purpose (GP) Building at the University of Newcastle, Callaghan campus.

Tom Uren AO will begin his address at 11.55am and Professor Bill Mitchell will address the conference at 4pm.