Good morning, and happy Friday.

1. The number of employed Australians has now reached pre-COVID levels, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). In its Thursday labour market report, the ABS states the February unemployment rate was 5.8%, or 0.5% lower than January. The figures suggest Australia’s recovery from the pandemic-induced economic downturn is outpacing expectations — but concerns remain over the winding down of JobKeeper subsidies.

2. On that front, Scott Morrison has again brushed off calls for profitable businesses to repay the JobKeeper subsidies they accrued. His statement follows a new report which claims a fifth of the JobKeeper payments made to Australia’s biggest ASX-listed companies wound up in the accounts of profitable businesses. Labor MP Andrew Leigh, who has long called for further accountability in the multi-billion dollar scheme, asked, “Why is Morrison spending taxpayer dollars to subsidise them?”

3. The Morrison government’s omnibus industrial relations bill is in ‘shambles’ as it surrenders all but one of its five reforms. Facing significant opposition in the Senate over the “complex and contentious bill”, the government will not pursue the reintroduction of bargaining agreements, award amendments, or changes to greenfield agreements. While it had support from the crossbench to introduce wage theft protections, it will drop those as well, instead focusing on enshrining the definition of casual work.

4. Leading healthcare representatives have called for patience and calm after Wednesday’s Federal Government vaccine booking website launch saw clinics inundated with booking requests they could not accept. Health Minister Greg Hunt yesterday disputed claims the launch was troubled, saying every clinic listed on the site has placed vaccine orders. But a further 100 Commonwealth-backed vaccine clinics will soon supplement the rollout plans, Hunt added.

5. After the Commonwealth Bank moved in on Afterpay’s turf by announcing its own buy now, pay later offering, the reverse is now taking place. Afterpay is preparing to launch its new banking app – Afterpay Money – following a successful pilot. “The user experience is more like a shopping experience than it is a banking experience,” said Lee Hatton, the new head of Afterpay’s banking effort. “It doesn’t look like, here are your accounts and here are your balances. It’s more around things like, what are the things in my wish-list at the moment that I am saving for.”

6. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack launched a $4.6 million “move-to-the-country” program this week to encourage people to move to regional areas, but newly released data suggests movers aren’t necessarily taking the available jobs. Over the past seven years, only 3,088 Australians accessed a Federal scheme to relocate workers to regional areas, according to data given to Guardian Australia. Labor says the Coalition government’s regional jobs programs have failed to support regional areas.

7. Australian made-to-measure suit brand InStitchu is eyeing the local market for further growth. Due to the pandemic, the company had to shelve plans for a UK expansion and a London showroom. “Now we’re really focused on domestic growth and where we’ve seen future organic growth is weddings,” said co-founder James Wakefield.

8. AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe, the European medicines regulator said Thursday. The European Medicines Agency’s statement followed an investigation of blood clots in vaccinated people. Eighteen countries that had paused use of the shot could now lift their suspensions.

9. Global GDP will grow the most since 1980 this year amid widespread vaccination and massive stimulus, Fitch says. Global gross domestic product is now expected to grow 6.1% through 2021, up from the previous estimate of 5.3%. The new forecast calls for the fastest rate of global growth since at least 1980 and follows a 3.4% decline in 2020. Global GDP will grow 3.9% in 2022, the team added.

10. Ultra-wealthy millennials are digitally reshaping the art market, Bloomberg’s Andrea Felsted reported. They’re more likely to buy online and invest in crypto art, like Beeple’s NFT “Everydays: the First 5000 Days.” More than half (58%) of bidders for the piece were millennials, Christie’s said. And 60% of bids on Christie’s NFTs overall have been made by those under age 40.

BONUS ITEM

Some light Friday content for you.

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.