Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
employees with the rights, protection, information and opportunities
required to succeed in the 21st century (ACTU 2003). In organisational
terms, sustainability means a company will exist for more than 100 years.
This requires a focus on long-term goals and giving something back to the
community. Ware (cited in Kistner 2004) argues that this requires invest-
ment in educational, social and public service institutions in addition to
renegotiated employee contracts that focus on work/life balance and co-
investment in the future such as the development of 'talent pools'. Such initi-
atives are not overly evident in today's workforce in Australia. Below we have
selected six major factors that workplace commentators agree appear to be
continuing on a trajectory of change:
1 Gender composition
The gender composition of the workforce is likely to continue to change in
the face of growing female participation and the expectation that many
women have of combining career and family.
2 Service sector jobs
The majority of new jobs will be located in the service sector. Jobs
will
remain in the mining, rural, manufacturing, utility and construction sec-
tors, but overall, their share will continue to decline. We predict a post-
industrial economy where a range of caring, routine, professional, support-
ing and leisure-based services will dominate employment. We expect job
growth to remain strong in retailing, accommodation, community services,
health, education, business services and personal services. These changes
contribute to the expectation that employees use their 'brains rather than
their brawn' and possess superior 'soft/interpersonal skills'.
3 Non-standard work contracts
Working arrangements will continue to be fragmented, ambiguous and in
many cases not regulated (consider, for example, the position of contractors
and temporary agency workers). Pressures for shareholder profit and
improved corporate performance will continue to lead to more innovative
and flexible employment arrangements and the rewards from work will con-
tinue to be unevenly distributed. It follows that contingent or non-standard
employment arrangements will become the norm. These arrangements offer
flexibility for employers and choice for those who wish to combine work
with study or caring responsibilities. The numbers of people holding more
