Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 6—Labour 213
Introduction
The information about the labour market in
Australia presented in this chapter covers a
wide range of aspects of economic and
community life. Labour statistics are important
economic indicators—changes in measures of
employment, unemployment, earnings, job
vacancies and industrial disputes provide insights
into the economy and the effects of labour
market policy settings. Labour statistics are also
very much about people—their participation in
the labour force, their success in finding
employment, their earnings and other benefits,
their type of work and their working hours.
This chapter begins with an outline of the main
sources of data on the labour market. This is
followed by a profile of the labour force, which
consists of people who are either employed or
unemployed. More detailed data are then
presented for the two groups of employed and
unemployed persons. For employed persons,
data are included on underemployment, where
part-time workers would like to work more
hours. In relation to unemployment, statistics are
also presented on the number of vacant jobs
available. Following these sections on people in
the labour force is information about those
people who are not in the labour force, including
data on marginally attached workers, who would
like employment but are either not looking or
not available for work.
The latter part of this chapter examines
characteristics and issues related to employment
in more detail. This includes data on the
occupation, industry and sector of employed
persons, as well as their hours, earnings and
benefits. Information is also presented about the
industrial relations environment, relating to
industrial disputes and the proportion of
employees who are union members.
Labour market statistics
The data presented are taken from ABS surveys. A
range of surveys is used to provide a picture of
the Australian labour market, with some surveys
collecting information from households while
others collect information from businesses.
In household surveys, information is collected
about persons from a sample of households. For
surveys covering labour issues, this information
includes demographic information, such as age
and sex, as well as information about labour
market experience, for example whether a person
is working or looking for work. The type of
information collected for a person will depend
upon his or her employment situation.
Household surveys provide insight into the
supply of labour.
Surveys of businesses with employees obtain
information about jobs, for example the number
of jobs in the business or the wages and salaries
paid. Business surveys provide information on
the demand for labour.
The overall framework for labour market statistics
is outlined in diagram 6.1. It sets the context for
the discussion of the Australian labour force in
the next section, and for the framework relating
to labour force statistics in diagram 6.2.