Millionaire stokes controversy after calling for unemployment to increase to put the ‘arrogant’ workers in their place

Australian multimillionaire Tim Gurner sparked controversy when he called for an increase in unemployment to put “arrogant” workers in their place.

Speaking at the Australian Financial Review’s Property Summit, Gurner, a 41-year-old gym trainer-owner-real estate mogul, claimed that the Covid pandemic led to a decline in productivity as “people decided they didn’t really want to work so much.”

He argued that this shift in productivity has negatively impacted the real estate sector and, along with tougher regulations, is contributing to a housing shortage in Australia.

Gurner proposed that the country’s unemployment rate should rise by 40-50% from the current rate of 3.7%, with more than 200,000 people potentially losing their jobs. He suggested this would help bring down the “arrogance in the employment market.”

“We need to see the pain in the economy,” Gurner stated, targeting the post-Covid work rates of construction laborers. He added, “We need to remind people they work for the employer, not the other way around.”

Video of Gurner’s remarks at the summit quickly spread on social media, drawing sharp criticism from netizens and Australian MPs.

Labor party MP Jerome Laxale likened Gurner’s comments to those of a “cartoon supervillain,” while Liberal MP Keith Wolahan said they were “out of touch.”

“The loss of a job is not a number. It sees people on the streets and dependent upon food banks,” Wolahan stated.

US lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also criticized the property mogul, highlighting the growing CEO-to-worker pay ratio.

However, some agreed with Gurner, arguing that employees have become lax and are not putting in the same effort as before.

“Employees have got used to earning the same amount of money but not putting in the same hours,” said Minerals Council of Australia chairman Andrew Michelmore.