6310.0 - Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership, Australia, Aug 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 22/03/2005   
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Child care/education expenses


Payment in full or in part by the employer of any expenses incurred in providing child care or education to an employee's child(ren) (e.g. tuition fees, books).


Club fees


Payment or subsidisation of the employee's membership fee for a club or society (not being a union or professional association) of which he/she was a member. Deduction from the employee's wages or salary, where the employee paid the full amount, was not considered to be a benefit.


Electricity


Payment or subsidisation by the employer of the employee's household fuel and/or power expenses, including electricity, gas, oil and firewood.


Employee


A person who works for a public or private employer and receives remuneration in wages, salary, a retainer fee by their employer while working on a commission basis, tips or piece-rates, or a person who operates his or her own incorporated enterprise with or without hiring employees. In this publication, employee relates to employee in his/her main job and excludes payment in kind.


Entertainment


Regular provision of an amount for entertainment or hospitality expenses, or the reimbursement of expenses regularly incurred for entertainment or hospitality purposes.


Full-time employees in main job


Persons who were employees in their main job and:

  • (for single job holders) usually work 35 hours or more a week, or usually work less than 35 hours but worked 35 hours or more in the reference week.
  • (for multiple job holders) usually work 35 hours or more in their main job and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours or more in their main job, worked 35 hours or more in the reference week.

Full-time workers


Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week. In this publication full-time workers relates to full-time workers who were employees in their main job.


Goods and services


Goods and services (not included under other headings) provided free or at a discounted price to an employee (e.g. an employee discount on goods sold in the retail outlet where they work).


Holiday expenses


Any free or discounted holiday or holiday travel expenses paid for or subsidised as a result of a person's employment.


Holiday leave


The entitlement of an employee to paid holiday, vacation or recreation leave.


Hours paid for in main job


The number of hours for which employees were paid, not necessarily the number of hours actually worked during the reference week (e.g. an employee on paid leave for the week was asked to report the number of hours for which they were paid).


Hours worked


The number of hours actually worked during the reference week.


Housing


Assistance in the provision of, or subsidisation of the costs of, accommodation used as a residence by an employee or his/her family. This benefit included: the provision (as an employee entitlement) of a residence owned by the employer; payment or subsidisation of rent or board; provision of a housing allowance; and payment or subsidisation of water, sewerage or general rates payable to local government authorities.


Incorporated enterprise


An enterprise which is registered as a separate legal entity to its members or owners (also known as a limited liability company).


Industry


Classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 1993 (cat. no. 1292.0). In this publication, industry relates to the main job.


Leave benefits


The entitlement of employees to paid holiday leave, sick leave, long service leave or maternity/paternity leave in their main job.


Leave entitlements


The entitlement of employees to either paid holiday leave or paid sick leave (or both) in their main job.


Long service leave


The entitlement of an employee to paid long service leave.


Low-interest finance


Finance provided by the employer, as a result of working for the employer, at a low-interest rate.


Main English speaking countries


The United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, the United States of America and New Zealand.


Main job


The job in which a person usually works the most hours.


Maternity/paternity leave


The entitlement of an employee to paid maternity/paternity leave.


Mean weekly earnings


The amount obtained by dividing the total earnings of a group by the number of employees in that group.


Median weekly earnings


The amount which divides the distribution of employees into two equal groups, one having earnings above and the other below that amount.


Medical


Payment or subsidisation by the employer of an employee's medical and /or hospital expenses, or private health insurance. Deduction from the employee's wages or salary, where the employee paid the full contribution, was not considered to be a benefit.


Multiple jobholder


Employed persons who, during the reference week, worked in a second job or held a second job from which they were absent because of holidays, sickness or any other reason. Multiple jobholders exclude those who changed employer.


In this publication, a multiple jobholder relates to only those who were employees in their main job, however information on earnings relates to only those multiple jobholders who were employees in both their main and second jobs.


Occupation


Classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, Second Edition (cat. no. 1220.0). In this publication, occupation relates to the main job and is shown at the ASCO Major Group level.


Other benefits


Benefits are concessions, allowances or other privileges received by or provided to employees in their main job in addition to wages or salary while the employees were working for their current employer, including benefits received or provided from other sources as a result of employment in a particular occupation or industry. The benefits included in the survey are goods or services, transport, telephone, holiday expenses, medical, housing, low-interest finance, study leave, shares, union dues/professional association, electricity, entertainment, club fees and child care/education expenses. Some benefits which were not included in the survey are: certain allowances received in accordance with award provisions (e.g. safety clothing); and cash payments, bonuses or payments in lieu of leave.


Owner managers of incorporated enterprises


Persons who work in their own incorporated enterprise, that is, a business entity which is registered as a separate legal entity to its members or owners (also known as a limited liability company).


Part-time employees in main job


Persons who were employees in their main job and:

  • (for single job holders) usually work less than 35 hours a week, and did so in the reference week
  • (for multiple job holders) actually worked less than 35 hours in their main job in the reference week, or were away from their main job but usually work less than 35 hours a week in their main job.

Part-time workers


Employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week. In this publication part-time workers relates to part-time workers who were employees in their main job.


Reference week


The week preceding the week in which the interview was conducted.


Second job


A job, other than the main job, in which some hours were worked during the reference week.


Sector of main job


Is used to classify a respondent’s employer as a public or private enterprise. The public sector includes all government units, such as government departments, non-market non-profit institutions that are controlled and mainly financed by government, and corporations and quasi-corporations that are controlled by government.


Shares


Receipt or provision of shares, rights or options in the employer's business as an employee entitlement.


Sick leave


The entitlement of an employee to paid sick leave.


Size of location in main job (employees)


The number of persons employed at the location of the respondent’s main job.


Standard benefit


The entitlement of an employee to paid holiday leave, sick leave, long service leave, maternity/paternity leave or a superannuation benefit.


Study leave


Time off granted by the employer for attendance at classes, study for exams, etc during working hours, provided that the course being studied was not undertaken as a condition of employment. People studying as a condition of employment (e.g. apprentices) were not considered to be receiving a benefit. However, other students who were given time off to attend courses were considered to receive study leave, even if they lost pay while on study leave or had to make up all of the time they were absent during working hours.


Superannuation benefit


Membership of a superannuation or retirement benefits scheme, arranged or provided by the person’s current employer even if the employer did not contribute to the fund.


Superannuation coverage


Membership of a superannuation or retirement benefits scheme regardless of whether the scheme was arranged or provided by the person’s current employer.


Telephone


Payment or subsidisation by the employer of an employee's home telephone rental, home telephone calls or mobile phone calls.


Trade union


An organisation consisting predominantly of employees, the principal activities of which include the negotiation of rates of pay and conditions of employment for its members.


Trade union member


Employees with membership in a trade union in conjunction with their main job.


Transport


Assistance with day-to-day travelling for private purposes by the provision of a vehicle or by other means (e.g. travelling allowance). Transport benefits provided for less frequent purposes were classified as another type of benefit (e.g. holiday-related travel was classified as holiday expenses).


Union dues/professional association


Payment or subsidisation by the employer of the employee's union membership dues or professional association membership fees. Deduction from the employee's wages or salary, where the employee paid the full amount, was not considered to be a benefit.


Weekly earnings


Amount of ‘last total pay’ (i.e. before taxation and other deductions had been made) from wage and salary jobs prior to the interview. For persons paid other than weekly, earnings were converted to a weekly equivalent. No adjustment was made for any back payment of wage increases or prepayment of leave, etc.


With leave entitlements in main job


Employees who were entitled to either paid holiday leave or paid sick leave (or both) in their main job.


Without leave entitlements in main job


Employees who were entitled to neither paid holiday leave nor paid sick leave in their main job.