Good morning team.

1. COVID! COVID has returned! OK, no need to panic. But NSW recorded two local COVID-19 cases yesterday, the first in 40 days. “NSW Health has been notified that a household contact of a locally acquired case reported earlier this evening has also tested positive, and further venues of concern have been identified,” health authorities said. Sydneysiders, check out the venue alerts below.

2. Australia’s minimum wage will go up by almost $20 a week, Fair Work has ruled. Around 2.5 million workers will be affected by the decision. “I think 2.5 per cent in this context is not a bad increase,” ACTU boss Sally McManus told the “Today” show. “We wanted 3.5, they [business groups] wanted nothing. We can see from all the figures that profits have bounced back, so we really need wages to bounce back too.”

3. Bad news on the growth front, per the Productivity Commission. Every Australian is $11,500 worse off after a decade of the nation’s worst economic growth since the 1950s. A surge in the prices of key mineral exports hid the impact on Australian living standards caused by this slowdown in growth over the past decade.

4. The disappearance of international students has left a gaping hole in parts of the Australian property market, decimating a crucial driver of demand for inner-city apartments. Rents have fallen by as much as 20% in Melbourne’s CBD, while prices in Sydney’s inner west have dropped almost 10% due largely to the disappearance of those students, according to Asian real estate platform Juwai IQI. Chairman Georg Chmiel said the market will recover next year, with student accomodation providers banking on not only a resurgence of enrolments, but also significant growth, in the coming years.

5. Food delivery giant Deliveroo is challenging a ruling last month by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) which found a dismissed rider was more like an employee than an independent contractor. The ruling, which acknowledged technology and the pandemic meant traditional employment had “changed dramatically”, has implications for the future of work, experts suggest. Here’s everything you need to know about this quite important battle.

6. Australia’s knowledge workers are reporting higher levels of anxiety and lower productivity than the international average, according to a new study by Slack. The latest Future Forum report, released Wednesday, suggests Australia could serve as a blueprint for other nations transitioning workers back into the office. But external factors may have coloured the findings, meaning a return to the white-collar workplace may not be the only contributing factor.

7. Airbnb spends $50 million each year on guests and hosts who have bad experiences, Bloomberg reports. The company spends the money on arranging flights, accommodation, and counselling, employees said. It’s covered costs related to patching bullet holes and finding body parts, the report said.

8. As we wonder when the Reserve Bank is likely to bump up interest rates, the US is setting clearer expectations. The Federal Reserve’s latest economic forecasts suggest two rate hikes could arrive in 2023. The new estimates come after strong demand and various bottlenecks fuelled stronger inflation through the spring. US stocks fell as a result of the comments.

9. Mark Zuckerberg dropped off Glassdoor’s “Top CEOs” list for the first time since 2013. The Facebook CEO scored an 89% employee approval rating, far higher than Glassdoor’s 73% CEO average. But he dropped from the list after employee approval dipped in late 2020 and early 2021.

10. The world is opening up. EU member states agreed on Wednesday to lift COVID-19 travel restrictions and allow nonessential travel from the US soon, a European source with knowledge of the discussions confirmed to Insider. That means European vacations are once again on the cards for Americans. Meanwhile, Australia remains a near-total fortress.

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