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Australia a leader in growth of casual work
19 April 2004
Australia represents “an extreme case” compared with other countries in the level and growth of casual work, a report has found.
The Chiefley Research Centre found the growth in casual employment defined as jobs without basic leave rights - placed Australia behind "just one or two" other OECD countries with very high levels of temporary employment.
It found that if the comparison was extended to all "temporary" employment, such as contractors and labour hire positions, there were few OECD countries apart from Spain that would match the growth and significance of casual employment.
The report, to be released today when Labor outlines its casual work policy, found many casual jobs were unstable in terms of predictability of earnings, working time, skill, representation, vulnerability to occupational health and safety hazards, and work type.
Much of it resulted in low pay, despite a pay loading in lieu of leave entitlements. The report found that casual work, while high among 15-24 year olds, was also a problem for more than a quarter of women over 25. It was concentrated in occupations where more than half of all women were employed - clerical, sales and service.
The unpredictable hours had significant consequences for workers, such as being unable to easily borrow money or plan child care, especially when most child care centres required booked places to be paid for even when not used.
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