Millionaire CEO apologizes for his workers have become ‘arrogant' remark

Tim Gurner , a wealthy property developer from Australia, has issued an apology following his earlier remarks suggesting that unemployment should increase to serve as a reminder to presumptuous workers. "We need to see pain in the economy," Gurner had said. Gurner sparked outrage by advocating for a 50% increase in unemployment while criticizing workers for becoming "arrogant" during the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking at the Australian Financial Review's Property Summit, Gurner, CEO of Gurner Group , claimed that productivity had declined during the pandemic because "people decided they didn't really want to work so much." He argued that the economy needed to experience pain and emphasized that employees should remember they work for their employers, not the other way around. "There's been a systematic change where employees feel the employer is extremely lucky to have them," Gurner said. "We need to remind people they work for the employer, not the other way around." Gurner further suggested that a 40 to 50% increase in unemployment would address the pandemic's productivity impact. It seems Gurner soon realized that he had made a huge mistake. Gurner subsequently expressed deep regret for his comments, which triggered a widespread global backlash. In a LinkedIn post, he said that he appreciated the impact of job losses on workers and their families, and that he did not intend to cause them any harm. He said that he wanted to have a constructive conversation about the challenges facing the economy and the housing market, and that he hoped to learn from his mistake. Gurner, whose personal net worth is estimated at $600 million, is known for making controversial statements. In 2017, he advised millennials to refrain from purchasing "smashed avocados" if they aimed to afford their initial homes. Furthermore, Gurner's company boasts an impressive property and development portfolio valued at $6.4 billion.