Facts & Figures
• As recently as 1990-91, the Man-ufacturing industry was the largest employer; however, it is now second to Retail trade, which has 15.4% of employed persons. Manufacturing has fallen from 16.1% of all employed persons in 1987-88, and 14.7% in 1990-91, to 12.0% in 2002-03. Employment in other traditional commodity-based industries, such as Agriculture, forestry and fishing, and Mining, has also declined over this period.

• Between 1987-88 to 2002-03, service-based industries have increased their share of employed persons. Property and business services has increased markedly, from 7.0% to 11.6% of employed persons, to now rate as the third biggest employing industry, while Health has risen from 8.3% to 9.9%, and Accommodation, cafes and restaurants from 3.7% to 4.8%.

• Important changes to the Federal workplace relations system were introduced by the Workplace Relations Act 1996, which aims to ensure that the primary responsibility for determining matters affecting the relationship between employers and employees rests with the employer and employees at the workplace.

• There is no longer a ‘standard’ model of work or employment in Australia. Only a little over half the Australian workforce is now engaged as permanent employees. More than a quarter of the workforce is now casual. Many others work on contract or are self-employed.

• There is also no longer a ‘standard’ model for the way Australians as individuals and as families interact with the workplace.

• Between 1985 and 2001 2.5 million new jobs were created in Australia. However, most of the job losses in the period came in industries and occupations with high levels of full-time and permanent employment. Most of the job gains came in industries characterised by low paid, part-time and casual work.

• Casual employment increased from 16% of employees in 1984 to 27% in 2002.

• Part-time employment increased from 18% of employees in 1984 to 29% in 2002.

• Permanent full-time employment fell from 74% of employees in 1988 to 61% in 2002.

• Women accounted for three quarters of all the new jobs in low paying • The Australian job market became more polarised between professional jobs at the top and low income, casual and part-time jobs at the bottom. Middle income occupations were hollowed out.

• Between 1988 and 2001 casual employment for workers aged 15 to 19 grew from 38% to 66%; casual employment for males almost doubled from 12% to 23%; casual employment for females increased from 28% to 32%.

• The industries with the largest numbers of casuals and highest casualisation rates in 2002: retail trade – 550,000 casuals (45% of industry employees); property and business services – 250,000 casuals (28% of industry employees); accommodation, cafes, restaurants – 225,000 casuals (56% of industry employees); health and community services – 200,000 casuals (23% of industry employees).

• Many Australians are working longer hours: between 1982 and 2002 the proportion of employees working 50 hours per week or more increased from 22% to 29% for males and from 17% to 21% for all employees; between 1982 and 2002, the proportion of employees working a standard 35 to 40 hour week fell from 50% to 33%; only 7% of employees now work all their weekday hours between 9am and 5pm; less than half of the Australian workforce works a Monday to Friday schedule.

• The increase in female workforce participation means that most women with family responsibilities are employed: the employment rate for all women increased from 47% in 1980 to 62% in 2001; the employment rate for prime age women (25-54 years) in 2001 was 68%.

•  Between 1981 and 2000 the proportion of couples with children with a single full-time earner decreased from 51% to 31%; the proportion of couples with children with one-and-a-half breadwinners increased from 24% to 33%.

• Work arrangements like paid parental leave, the availability of quality part-time work, flexible work schedules, special leave and career breaks are poorly developed in Australia compared to other OECD countries.

• Half of all full-time workers are putting in 40 hours a week or less – most of the overall increase in average hours has been caused by a small minority of workers – 10 per cent – working very much longer hours than they did. Since 1982 the proportion of full-timers working 50 hours or more a week has gone from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.

• Between 1966 and 2002 the labour force participation rate of married women increased from 29 to 58 per cent. In June 2000, 61 per cent of couple families with dependents had both partners in the workforce. As a result of these changes the number and proportion of workers who have family responsibilities has increased significantly.

• In the 1960s, 90 per cent of workers were full-timers. In 2002, only 61 per cent were.

• Since the late ’80s the rate of job growth among women has been twice that of men.

• The employment rate for women has increased from 29 per cent in 1954 to 62 per cent in 2001.

• 45 per cent of women with children under five have jobs.

•  The proportion of the population in households comprising a husband and wife with dependants is down from 35 per cent in 1979 to 28 per cent in 2000.