One of the country’s most prominent businessmen, Ryan Stokes, says stagnating labour productivity is being exacerbated by Labor’s restrictions on contractors and worker abuse of compensation claims for mental health – issues that must be tackled at the government’s economic roundtable.

The chief executive of SGH, which employs about 17,000 workers across its businesses including WesTrac, Boral and Coates, said Australia required a highly skilled and productive workforce.