Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the economy remains strong despite recent job cuts by banks and manufacturers.
ANZ Bank is the latest major company to announce job losses, saying it will shed 1,000 workers because of the high cost of sourcing funds.
Alcoa workers from Victoria met Ms Gillard in Canberra on Monday as the aluminium maker reviewed its staffing numbers.
More than 29,000 people were added to the jobless ranks in December, with the latest jobs data to be released this Thursday.
Ms Gillard says the economic fundamentals are strong.
"We have a strong banking system, we have low public debt, we have low unemployment and we have economic growth. Our economy is the envy of the world," she told ABC Radio.
But it also was a time of significant structural change in the economy.
"You could take your hands off and say: `Well, let all of that happen and who wins wins and who loses loses'," the prime minister said.
"My point of view is: we look at that change and say `Let's bend it to our purposes, let's make sure it serves the interests of working Australians'."
Ms Gillard said the dynamics in different sectors of the economy, such as retail, manufacturing and finance, were changing.
But she had harsh words for ANZ which, she said, needed to explain itself.
"The ANZ Bank needs to take responsibility for its decisions," she said.
"It's determined to put rates up and to cut staff.
"In my view, it's something consumers have a right to be pretty angry about and for those people who are now at risk of losing their jobs they too will be pretty upset."
