Tim Gurner: Australian tycoon calls for jobless spike to fix worker attitudes

One of Australia's richest men has sparked a global backlash after saying unemployment should double to remind arrogant workers of their place.

"We need to see pain in the economy," gym-owner-turned-real-estate-mogul Tim Gurner said.

He has previously suggested young people cannot afford homes because they spend too much on avocado toast.

Video of his comments has gone viral, attracting over 23 million views and strong criticism online.

Speaking during a property summit this week, the 41-year-old said the Covid-19 pandemic had changed employees' attitudes and work ethics for the worse - singling out builders as an example.

He claimed that shift is impacting productivity in the sector, which - combined with tougher regulations - is fuelling Australia's housing shortage.

He proposed the country's current unemployment rate of 3.7% should rise by 40-50% to reduce "arrogance in the employment market". That would see more than 200,000 people lose their jobs.

"There's been a systematic change where employees feel the employer is extremely lucky to have them," Mr Gurner said.

"We need to remind people they work for the employer, not the other way around."

His remarks come at a time when many companies are tussling with staff over issues such as remote work and pay.

Shifting attitudes toward employment are also a matter of widespread discussion on social media, giving rise to hashtags like "quiet quitting", a term meant to capture the decision to stop going above and beyond for bosses; and "lazy-girl jobs", which refers to well paying, flexible positions that offer greater work-life balance.

Mr Gurner's comments, which were shared by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) which hosted the summit, have drawn criticism on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and LinkedIn.

They have also been condemned by Australian MPs from across the political divide. Labor MP Jerome Laxale said they were "comments you'd associate with a cartoon supervillain", while Liberal MP Keith Wolahan said they "could not be more out of touch".

"The loss of a job is not a number. It sees people on the streets and dependent upon food banks," Mr Wolahan told the AFR.

US lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also criticised the property mogul.

"Reminder that major CEOs have skyrocketed their own pay so much that the ratio of CEO-to-worker pay is now at some of the highest levels ever recorded," she wrote on X.

But others - like Minerals Council of Australia chairman Andrew Michelmore - have defended him.

"Employees have got used to earning the same amount of money but not putting in the same hours," Mr Michelmore told the AFR.

Gurner is the CEO and founder of Gurner Group and has an estimated worth of A$929 million (£479m; $598m).

He has previously spoken about how loans from his grandfather and former boss helped him get his start as a business owner.