6239.0 - Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation, Australia, July 2012 to June 2013 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 28/11/2013   
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GLOSSARY

Actively looking for work

People who were taking active steps to find work. Active steps comprise:

  • writing, telephoning or applying to an employer for work;
  • answering an advertisement for a job;
  • checking noticeboards;
  • being registered with centrelink as a jobseeker;
  • checking or registering with any other employment agency;
  • advertising or tendering for work; and
  • contacting friends or relatives.

Available to start work

For people not in the labour force, those who were available to start work in the reference week or within four weeks.

Available to start work with more hours

Employed people who usually worked 0–34 hours per week in all jobs and were available to start work with more hours in the reference week or within four weeks.

Currently studying

People who were undertaking study for a trade certificate, diploma, degree or any other educational qualification at the time of the survey.

Did not prefer to work more hours

People who said 'no' or 'don't know' when asked 'would you prefer to work more hours than you usually work?'.

Did not want a paid job

People who were not classified as employed or unemployed who answered 'no' or 'don't know' when asked if they would like a paid job.

Duration of current main job/last job

Length of time worked in current main job/last job.


Employed

People 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.

Employees

People who work for a public or private employer and receive remuneration in wages, salary, a retainer fee from their employer while working on a commission basis, tips, piece rates, or payment in kind, or people who operate their own incorporated enterprise with or without hiring employees.

Employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements

Employees (excluding Owner Managers of Incorporated Enterprises) (OMIEs), who were entitled to either paid sick leave or paid holiday leave (or both).

Employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements

Employees (excluding OMIEs), who were not entitled to, or did not know whether they were entitled to, paid sick and paid holiday leave.

Employers

People who operate their own unincorporated economic enterprise or engage independently in a profession or trade and hire one or more employees.

Employment type

Classification of employed people according to the following employment type categories on the basis of their main job (i.e. the job in which they usually work the most hours):
 
Employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises)
  • with paid leave entitlements
  • without paid leave entitlements
 
Owner managers
  • owner managers of incorporated enterprises
  • owner managers of unincorporated enterprises
 
Contributing family workers

Family

Two or more people, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.

Full-time workers (usual)

Employed people who usually work 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs).

Future starters

People who were not employed during the reference week, were waiting to start a 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.

Government pension/allowance

Income support payments from government to persons under social security and related government programs. Included are pensions and allowances received by aged, disabled, unemployed and sick persons, families and children, veterans and their survivors, and study allowances for students. Payments made by overseas governments as well as the Australian government are included.

Gross income

Regular and recurring cash receipts including monies received from wages and salaries, government pensions and allowances, and other regular receipts such as superannuation, workers' compensation, child support, scholarships, profit or loss from own unincorporated business or partnership, and property income. Gross income is the sum of current income from all these sources before income tax or the Medicare levy have been deducted.

Group jack-knife method

This method of calculating standard errors starts by dividing the survey sample into a number of approximately equal-sized groups (replicate groups). Replicate estimates of the population total are then calculated from the sample by excluding each replicate group in turn. The jack-knife variance is derived from the variation of the respective replicate estimates around the estimate based on the whole sample.

Had ever worked for two weeks or more

People who are not in the labour force or are unemployed and have previously worked for two weeks or more.

Had previously worked

People who are not in the labour force or are unemployed, who have previously worked for two weeks or more, less than 20 years ago.

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

An industry relates to a group of businesses or organisations that perform similar sets of activities in terms of the production of goods and services. In this publication, industry is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0).

Labour force

The civilian population can be split into two mutually exclusive groups: the labour force (employed and unemployed people) and people not in the labour force.

Last job

Refers to last job less than 20 years ago.

Level of highest educational attainment

Level of highest educational attainment identifies the highest achievement a person has attained in any area of study. It is defined as the highest educational attainment a person has achieved, and is not a measurement of relative importance of different fields of study.

Level of highest non-school qualification

Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Postgraduate Degree level, Masters Degree level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate level, Bachelor Degree level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels and not further defined. Non-school qualifications may be attained concurrently with school qualifications.

Looking for work with more hours

Refers to persons who indicated that they had done something in the last four weeks to obtain more hours of work.

Main English-speaking countries

The list of Main English Speaking Countries provided here is not an attempt to classify countries on the basis of whether or not English is the predominant or official language of each country. It is a list of the main countries from which Australia receives, or has received, significant numbers of overseas settlers who are likely to speak English. These countries comprise the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and the United States of America.

Main job

The job in which most hours were usually worked.

Not employed

People who are either unemployed or not in the labour force.

Occupation

An occupation relates to a collection of jobs that are sufficiently similar in their title and tasks, skill level and skill specialisation which are grouped together for the purposes of classification. In this publication, occupation is classified according to ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, 2013, Version 1.2 (cat. no. 1220.0).

Owner managers

People who work in their own business, with or without employees, whether or not the business is of limited liability.

Owner managers of incorporated enterprises

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

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.

Part-time workers (usual)

Employed people who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs).

Persons in the labour force

People who were classified as being in the labour force, that is, either employed or unemployed.

Persons not in the labour force

People who were not classified as employed or unemployed.

Preferred to work more hours

Employed people who usually work 0–34 hours each week and would prefer to work more hours than they usually work.

Reference week

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

Relationship in household

The relationship of people who live in the same household.

Status in employment

Employed people classified according to whether they were employees, employers, own account workers, or contributing family workers.

Time since last job

The elapsed time since ceasing last job.

Took inactive steps

People who did not take active steps to look for work (see actively looking for work). Includes only looked in newspapers.

Unemployed

People 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.

Unincorporated enterprise

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.

Unpaid activities

Includes caring for own children or other people's children including grandchildren. Also includes caring for elderly or someone with long-term illness or disability or undertaking unpaid voluntary work. Respondents were asked whether they had undertaken any of these activities in the last four weeks.

Usual hours worked

The hours usually worked per week by an employed person.

Wanted a paid job

People who are not in the labour force and would like a paid job of any kind. Includes people who said 'depends'.

Wanted more hours

See 'Preferred to work more hours'.