6359.0 - Forms of Employment, Australia, Nov 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 13/09/2002   
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MEDIA RELEASE

September 13, 2002
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
116/2002
One in five workers identify as casual

One in five (20%) employed persons consider themselves to be employed on a casual basis, according to results released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This is a slight increase on the 17% reported in the last Forms of Employment Survey conducted in 1998.

The predominant employment type continues to be employees with paid leave entitlements, comprising 58% of employed persons in November 2001. This is similar to the 59% recorded in 1998. Nearly one-fifth (19%) of employed persons had their own business in November 2001. The remaining 3% of employed persons were employees without paid leave entitlements who did not identify as casual.

Females made up the majority (59%) of self-identified casuals in November 2001, while the majority of persons working in their own business were male (69%). A relatively large proportion (42%) of self-identified casuals were aged 15-24 years. Sixty percent of people working in their own business were aged 35-54 years, compared with 47% in this age group for all employed persons.

The majority of employees with paid leave entitlements (70%) worked 35 hours or more in their main job in the reference week, and 17% worked 49 hours or more. In comparison, just over two-thirds (68%) of people working in their own business worked 35 hours or more in their main job in the reference week, with 40% working 49 hours or more. Most (76%) self-identified casuals worked less than 35 hours in their main job in the reference week.

Over one-third (38%) of persons working in their own business had been in that business for more than 10 years. This was higher than the proportion of employees who had been with the same employer for more than 10 years. About one-quarter (24%) of employees with paid leave entitlements and 5% of self-identified casuals had been with the same employer for more than 10 years.

At November 2001, 288,100 employees (4%) were working on a fixed-term contract, and 451,900 persons working in their own business (26%) undertook contract work. In total, nearly one in twelve employed persons (8%) worked under some form of contract arrangement.

Further details are in Forms of Employment, Australia, November 2001 (cat. no. 6359.0).