FORMS OF EMPLOYMENT, QUEENSLAND - NOVEMBER 2006


Overview
Industry
Occupation
Length of Employment with Current Employer/Business
Tenure of Employment
Hours Worked in Main Job
Contract Work


OVERVIEW

Working life in Queensland continues to change. There are more diverse employment arrangements, more flexible working time patterns, and increases in the extent of part-time and casual employment.

Statistics in this article were compiled from data collected in the Forms of Employment Survey, conducted throughout Australia in November 2006 as a supplement to the Australian Bureau of Statistics monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS). The survey examined the key factors relating to the nature of employment arrangements in the Australian workforce.

For a comprehensive list of scope exclusions, see the explanatory notes in the ABS publication: Forms of Employment, 2006 (cat. no. 6359.0).

The Forms of Employment Survey (FOES) classifies employed people on the basis of their main job to an employment type category which captures the essential nature of their employment arrangements. The 2006 FOES identified the following employment types:

• Employees (excluding owner managers of an incorporated enterprise)
  • Employees with paid leave entitlements - employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises) who were entitled to either paid sick leave or paid holiday leave (or both).
  • Employees without paid leave entitlements - employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises) who were not entitled to, or did not know whether they were entitled to, paid sick or paid holiday leave.
• Owner managers
  • Owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIEs) - people 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).
  • Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises (OMUEs) - people who operate their own unincorporated enterprise, that is, a business entity in which the owner and the business are legally inseparable, so that the owner is liable for any business debts that are incurred. Includes those engaged independently in a trade or profession.

(a) Totals may not sum due to rounding.
(b) Excludes people who were contributing family workers in their main job.
(c) Includes people who did not know if they were entitled to paid holiday and paid sick leave in their main job.


In November 2006, there were 2.1 million people aged 15 years and over who were employed in Queensland. Employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements accounted for 57% of total employed people and employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements accounted for 23%. OMIEs (6.6%) and OMUEs (14%) made up the remaining balance.

Men accounted for 55% of employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements, 69% of OMIEs and 64% of OMUEs. Women accounted for 57% of employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements.

An estimated 72% of employed people were full-time workers in their main job. Employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements (85%) were more likely to work full-time followed by OMIEs (80%) and OMUEs (72%). Part-time workers accounted for 66% of employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements.

The majority (91%) of employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements considered their main job to be casual.

INDUSTRY

Twelve percent of employees (excluding OMIEs) with leave entitlements had their main job in the Health care and social assistance industry, and a further 11% were in the Manufacturing industry. Retail trade (22%) and Accommodation and food services (18%) were the dominant employing industries for employees (excluding OMIEs) without leave entitlements. Construction was the leading employing industry for both owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIEs) and owner managers of unincorporated enterprises (OMUEs), (16% and 21% respectively).

In November 2006 in Queensland, the Mining (89%), Construction (86%), Manufacturing (74%) and Transport, postal and warehousing (74%) industries predominantly employed men. The industries with the highest proportions of women were Health care and social services (81%), Education and training (66%) and Financial and insurance services (61%).

OCCUPATION

The leading occupation group for employees (excluding OMIEs) with leave entitlements was Professionals (21%) followed by Clerical and administrative workers (19%). In November 2006, nearly one in four (24%) of employees (excluding OMIEs) without leave entitlements were employed as Labourers and a further 22% were Sales workers. The predominant occupation groups for owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIEs) were Managers (38%) and Professionals (17%) while for owner managers of unincorporated enterprises (OMUEs) the main occupations were Managers and Technicians and trades workers (25% each).

In November 2006 in Queensland, occupations dominated by men were Machinery operators and drivers (90%), Technicians and trades workers (85%) and Managers (64%). Women were more likely than men to be employed as Clerical and administrative workers (76%), Community and personal service workers (71%) and Sales workers (59%).


LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT WITH CURRENT EMPLOYER/BUSINESS

More employed people had been with their current employer/business for less than one year (26%) than for ten years or more (22%). Regardless of whether their enterprises were incorporated or not, owner managers (36%) most commonly reported that they had been with their current employer/business for ten years or more. In contrast, nearly half (48%) of employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements had been with their current employer/business for less than one year.



TENURE OF EMPLOYMENT

In November 2006, the majority of employed people aged 15 years and over in Queensland (89%) expected to be with their current employer or business in 12 months time, although expectations varied by type of employment and by age.

Almost a quarter (23%) of employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements did not expect to be with their current employer/business in 12 months time, while 92% of employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements, 97% of owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIEs) and 94% of owner managers of unincorporated enterprises (OMUEs) did expect to be in their current employment in 12 months time.

Around one in five (21%) of employed people aged 15-24 years did not expect to be with their current employer or business in 12 months time. In contrast, only 6.8% of employed people aged 45-54 years did not expect to be with their current employer or business in 12 months time.

HOURS WORKED IN MAIN JOB

Nearly one in five (19%) employed Queenslanders worked more than 49 hours per week in November 2006. A similar proportion (19%) worked less than 20 hours per week. Owner managers were more likely to work long hours with 44% of OMIEs and 35% of OMUEs working more than 49 hours per week. Conversely, employees (excluding OMIEs) without leave entitlements were more likely to work a shorter week (46% worked less than 20 hours per week).


Two-thirds (67%) of men employed in Queensland in 2006 worked more than 38 hours per week compared to around four out of every ten (39%) of women. Proportionately, women were twice as likely as men to work less than 20 hours per week (27% of women compared to 13% of men).

Industries with high proportions of employed people working 38 hours per week or more were Wholesale trade (72%) and Construction (70%). The Accommodation and food services and the Arts and recreation services industries each had just over one-third (36%) of employed people working less than 20 hours per week.

Managers (76%) were more than twice as likely as Community and personal service workers (33%) to have worked more than 38 hours per week.

CONTRACT WORK

In November 2006, there were 272,500 employed people who worked on a contract basis in Queensland. Of these, 190,000 were employees (excluding OMIEs), of whom 20% worked in the Education and training industry, 13% worked in Health care and social assistance and 10% worked in the Retail trade industry. Over one-quarter (27%) of employees (excluding OMIEs) who reported that they worked on a contract basis were Professionals, while 16% were Clerical and administrative workers. Fifty-two percent of employees (excluding OMIEs) who worked on a contract basis were women.

Four out of every ten (40%) owner managers who worked on a contract basis worked in the Construction industry and 14% worked in the Professional, scientific and technical services industry. Of owner managers who worked on a contract basis, 38% were Technicians and trades workers and 16% were Professionals. Seventy-six percent of owner managers who worked on a contract basis were men.

Fixed-term contract

There were 69,700 employees (excluding OMIEs) in Queensland in November 2006 who worked on a fixed-term contract. Around one-third (32%) of these fixed-term contract workers were aged 25-34 years and over half (55%) were women. Fixed term contract workers were most likely to be employed in the Education and training industry (39%) or the Public administration and safety industry (15%). Reflecting these industries, the occupation groups with the highest proportions for fixed-term contract workers were Professionals (41%) and Clerical and administrative workers (21%).

A higher proportion of employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements (78%) working on a fixed-term contract expected the contract to be renewed than employees (excluding OMIEs) without leave entitlements (54%) on a fixed term contract.