For the first time in history, fewer than half of all employed Australians have a regular full-time job and are entitled to leave, according to a new study.
A careful study of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data by (Centre for Future Work), the (Australia Institute) Future work Center of the Australian Institute of Research, found that "unstable" jobs have increased dramatically over the past five years and employees have lost paid leave. Benefits such as pensions and sick leave.
Economists Carney (Tanya Carney) and Stanford (Jim Stanford) compiled the 2012-17 unstable Employment Dimension report and analyzed the data.
They found that the proportion of employees with full-time employment and leave rights fell to 49.97 percent during that period.
Meanwhile, part-time jobs rose to 31.7 percent of the workforce-the highest so far-with the rest of the workforce composed of self-employed, temporary and underemployed workers.
"Job instability has become the new normal," Stanford said. "I would never say it's a phenomenon unique to the lower class, because most people now experience this insecurity in one way or another."
One of the other important findings in the report is that young Australians suffer the most, with the proportion of full-time workers under 30 falling from 42.5 percent in 2012 to 38.9 percent in 2017.
The proportion of underemployed in total employment rose from 7.6% to 9.1%.
"Young workers face the worst characteristics of an unstable labour market, even though they are more educated than any previous Australian population," the report wrote.
In fact, nearly 50 per cent of 25-34-year-old workers have completed higher education. But unstable jobs are widespread, preventing most people from maximizing their skills. "
Two drivers behind change
The report reviewed ABS and other government data from 11 job "indicators", including wages, the incidence of temporary jobs, underemployment and migrant workers.
The report did not find any indicator of "job instability", but combined data confirmed the trend.
The report boils down to two main points: the number of jobs on the market is insufficient relative to the number of people in need of work, and the quality of work has been deteriorating.
"now you're facing a situation where working hours are irregular and stability is gone, and workers have to accept whatever jobs they can get," Stanford said.
"We have to have a stronger job market where people think they can say no."
Stanford also advocated changes to labor laws to ensure more protection, including a minimum wage, for those with unstable jobs. "I don't believe this is inevitable," he said. "Australia's experience is very unusual compared to other industrialized countries, and I think we can turn things around through some positive policy intervention."