Australia Yearbook - 2001

222 Year Book Australia 2001
Underemployed workers
Underemployment exists when people who are
working part-time have a preference to work
more hours. The number of underemployed
workers is an important indicator of labour
market performance. It highlights the unsatisfied
aspirations of many workers for adequate work
and greater earnings.
In September 1998 there were 8,677,200
employed persons aged 15 and over. Of these,
502,800 (6%) usually worked part-time and
wanted to work more hours, and less than 1%
usually worked full-time but worked part-time in
the survey reference week for economic reasons
(table 6.11).
Of all part-time workers who wanted more hours,
60% were female. Some 63% of part-time workers
who wanted more hours reported that they
would like to work full-time hours.
The median duration of the current period of
insufficient work for persons working part-time
and wanting to work more hours was 25 weeks
for males and 26 weeks for females. Duration
generally increased with age for both males and
females. For females, the median duration ranged
from 20 weeks for those aged 15–19 years, to 104
weeks for those aged 55–59 years. For males, the
median duration ranged from 12 weeks for those
aged 20–24 years, to 80 weeks for those aged
45–54 years.
6.11 UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATUS OF EMPLOYED PERSONS—September 1998
Males Females
Persons
’000
’000
’000
Fully employed workers 4 660.3 3 471.3 8 131.6
Full-time workers 4 284.2 2 195.0 6 479.2
Part-time workers 376.1 1 276.3 1 652.4
Usually work full-time but worked part-time for economic reasons 32.9 10.0 42.8
Usually work part-time and want more hours 202.3 300.5 502.8
Usually work part-time and want more part-time hours 48.0 135.9 183.9
Usually work part-time and want full-time hours 154.2 164.7 318.9
Employed persons 4 895.5 3 781.8 8 677.2
Source: Underemployed Workers, Australia (6265.0).
'000
100
80
6.12 USUALLY WORK PART-TIME: USUAL HOURS WORKED AND
PREFERRED NUMBER OF EXTRA HOURS—September 1998
Less than 10
10–19
20 or more
60
40
20
0
1–10 11–20 21–34
Usual hours worked
Source: Underemployed Workers, September 1998 (6265.0).