6210.5 - Workforce Participation and Workplace Flexibility, Western Australia, October 2010 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/05/2011  First Issue
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GLOSSARY

Balance of WA

The Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) divides Western Australia into two Major Statistical Regions, namely Perth Major Statistical Region and the Balance of Western Australia. Non-metropolitan region is represented by the Balance of Western Australia Major Statistical Region. For further information refer to Australian Standard Geographical Classification (cat. no. 1216.0).

Civilian population aged 15 years and over

All usual residents of Australia aged 15 years and over except members of the permanent defence forces, certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments customarily excluded from census and estimated population counts, overseas residents in Australia, and members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants) stationed in Australia.

Couple only household

A couple relationship is defined as two people usually residing in the same household who share a social, economic and emotional bond usually associated with marriage and who consider their relationship to be a marriage or marriage like union. This relationship is identified by the presence of a registered marriage or de facto marriage.

Couple with children household

A couple family with children present. It can be expanded to elaborate on the characteristics of those children, such as their number, age and dependency status. This family may or may not include other related individuals.

Dependent child

A person aged under 15 years, or a 'dependent student' as defined.

Dependent student

A full-time student aged 15-24 years, living in the same usual residence as his or her natural, step, foster or adoptive parent.

Employed

People aged 15 years and over who during the reference week:

  • worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind, in a job or business or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or
  • worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or
  • were employees who had a job but were not at work and were away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week; or
      • away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week; or
      • away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; or
      • on strike or locked out; or
      • on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job; or
  • were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

In this publication, employed refers to people aged 18 years and over who met the above conditions, excluding employers and own account workers.

Employee

A person who works for a public or private employer and receives remuneration in wages, salary, a retainer fee from their employer while working on a commission basis, tips, piece rates, or payment in kind, or a person who operates their own incorporated enterprise with or without hiring employees.

In this publication people aged 15-17 years were excluded, as were full time students under 25 years of age, employers and own account workers.

Employer

A person who operates their own unincorporated economic enterprise or engages independently in a profession or trade, and hires one or more employees.

Employment type

Classifies employed people according to the following categories on the basis of their main job (that is, the job in which they usually worked the most hours):
  • Employees (with leave entitlements, without leave entitlements)
  • Owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIE)
  • Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises
  • Contributing family workers.

For the purposes of this survey only employees and contributing family workers were in scope.

Employee status

This publication classifies employees according to whether they have leave entitlements or no leave entitlements.

Equivalised annual household income

Gross annual household income as defined and adjusted using an equivalence scale to facilitate comparisons between households of different size and composition. See Explanatory Notes for more information.

Flexible work arrangements

An arrangement whereby employees can alter their start or finish times, but still work the required number of hours. Includes time off in lieu.

Full-time workers

Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working fewer than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.

Gross annual household income

The sum from all income sources before income tax and the Medicare levy have been deducted for all members of the household over a 12 months period, for this survey, between November 2009 and October 2010.

Household

A group of residents of a dwelling who share common facilities and meals or who consider themselves to be a household. It is possible for a dwelling to contain more than one household, for example, where regular provision is made for groups to take meals separately and where persons consider their household to be separate.

Household income

See 'gross annual household income'.

Industry

All occurrences of industry in this publication refer to Division, as classified by the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), Second Edition, 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0).

Lone parent with dependent children households

A family consisting of a lone parent with dependent children as defined.

Long term leave

Away from work for four weeks or more up to the end of the reference week.

Long term unpaid leave

'Long term leave' as defined and not paid or expected to be paid for any part of the four weeks up to the end of the reference week.

One parent family

A family consisting of a lone parent with at least one dependent or non-dependent child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the family. This family type may or may not include other related individuals.

Examples of one parent families include a 25 year old parent with dependent children and an 80 year old parent living with a 50 year old child.

Not in the labour force

People who were not in the categories ‘employed’ or ‘unemployed’ as defined.

Occupation

All occurrences of occupation in this publication relate to Major Group as defined by - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), First Edition, 2006 (cat. no. 1220.0).

Own account workers

People who operated their own unincorporated economic enterprise or engaged independently in a profession or trade, and hired no employees.

For the purpose of this publication, this category of workers was excluded as they have control in making choices relating to workforce participation and workplace flexibility.

Owner managers

People who work in their own incorporated or unincorporated business, with or without employees.

For the purpose of this publication, this category of workers was excluded as they have control in making choices relating to workforce participation and workplace flexibility.

Owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIE)

People who worked 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). These people are usually classified as employees under 'status in employment'.

For the purpose of this publication, this category of workers was excluded as they have control in making choices relating to workforce participation and workplace flexibility.

Paid leave entitlements

Entitlements to paid sick and/or paid holiday leave.

Part-time workers

Employed persons who usually worked fewer than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and did so during the reference week, or were not at work during the reference week.

Permanently not intending to work

People aged 65 years and over who said they were permanently not intending to work.

Persons not in the labour force

see 'not in the labour force'

Persons not in the labour force, excluding those on long-term unpaid leave

People who have been away from a job for four weeks or more and have not been paid for any part of that period, are usually defined as not in the labour force.

For the purposes of this survey they have been grouped with employees.

Place of usual residence

See 'region of usual residence'.

Preferred to work less hours

Employees who usually worked 35 hours or more a week who would like to reduce their working hours

Private sector

The private sector comprises all organisations not classified as public sector.

Public sector

Public sector comprises local government authorities and all government departments and agencies created by, or reporting to, the Commonwealth, or State/Territory Parliaments.

Reference week

The week prior to interview.

Region of usual residence

A person’s area of usual residence as classified by the Statistical Region structure in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). The classification divides Western Australia into two Major Statistical Regions - the Perth Major Statistical Region and the Balance of WA (otherwise know as the non-metropolitan region.) For further information refer to Australian Standard Geographical Classification, (cat. no. 1216.0) and Information Paper: Regional Labour Force Statistics, September 1997 (cat. no. 6262.0).

Sector

Classifies employed people according to whether they work for a public or private sector employer as defined.

Unemployed

People aged 15 years and over who were not employed during the reference week and:
  • had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and were available for work in the reference week; or
  • were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the reference week, and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then.

For the purpose of this publication, people aged 15 to 17 years have been excluded.

Work arrangements

Arrangements that employees take up with their employers relating to when, where, and how they work.

Work-life balance

A balance between work and family or social responsibilities. People’s perception of work-life balance is very subjective and can vary from one person to the next.

Workplace flexibility

Flexible working arrangements can include job sharing, telecommuting (working from home), cap on overtime, opportunity to negotiate part-time work for full-time employees, time in lieu, rostered day off, self rostering, staggered start and finish times, and/or gradual retirement.