Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
cent in 2001 (OECD 2002) while the employment of women in OECD coun-
tries moved in the opposite direction. The employment rate in Australia for
prime-age women (25-54 years) is now slightly higher than the OECD
average for the total OECD, standing at 68 per cent in 2001 (OECD 2002:
313-15).
Persistently high rates of unemployment and underemployment
Many thousands of service workers work short hours because their industry
is organised through short shifts. This frequently leads to the undertaking of
multiple jobs in order to survive. Currently, one in seven workers in Aus-
tralia are underemployed. Moreover, Australia has one of the highest rates of
underemployment and precarious employment in the OECD, in addition to
significant numbers of long-term unemployed (Watson
et al.
2003).
Work intensity and work/life balance
All occupations and industries report that workloads have increased and
that work has become more intense, with 21 per cent of people in the work-
force working 50 or more hours per week. Fifty per cent of those who work
overtime do not get paid for it - understaffing and work intensity have
become workplace fixtures in the early 21st century. Increased workloads
make it increasingly difficult to achieve work/life balance, with a large
number of people in high-skilled, stressful jobs who would like to work less
(Watson
et al.
(2003).
The dominance of the services sector in job creation
In common with most developed countries the service sector accounts for
more than three-quarters of the economy's output and for four out of every
five jobs in Australia. Many of these jobs, however, are part-time or casual
and are of low quality in terms of pay, working conditions, job security and a
lack of any career path (see previous point). Table 10.1 illustrates the rise in
service sector employment and the decline in manufacturing employment
over the period 1966-2002.
The growth in non-standard employment arrangements
This growth is particularly high in relation to part-time and casual work.
New jobs created between 1985 and 2001 numbered 2.5 million but most
were in industries that are characterised by low paid, part-time and casual
