Last month, the Fair Work Commission elected to reduce penalty rates for Australia's hospitality and retail staff. In the hospitality award, the penalty rate for full-time and part-time employees will be reduced from 175 to 150 per cent. Retail workers and those working at pharmacies will see their Sunday double time reduced to 150% of their hourly rate.

The justification among business owners is that unemployment is higher than it needs to be and high wages reduce options for businesses and consumers. However, many of the arguments employers make are not supported by the evidence.

Two big claims underpin the decision to cut penalty rates for Sunday workers in the retail and hospitality sectors: that they are no longer needed or relevant, and that they cost jobs. Since 2014, employers have been battling to have these penalty rates cut based on the aforementioned augments. Now that their wish has been granted, let's see how the claims stack up.

The Fair Work Commission has decided to reduce penalty rates for hospitality and retail staff around the country. Here's what you need to know.

People say that "everyone should work retail or service at least once in their lives." I couldn't agree more. Like many people, some of my first jobs were retail service gigs. One in a department store, another in a bookstore. I've long since moved on, but I learned a lot about the nature of people -- and how that battle between selfishness and empathy is something we all struggle with, every day.