THE CHANGING NATURE OF WORK AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS IN AUSTRALIA Russell Lansbury Professor of Work

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THE CHANGING NATURE OF WORK AND
EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS IN AUSTRALIARussell
Lansbury Professor of Work Organisational
StudiesFaculty of Economics BusinessUniversity
of SydneyThe Future of Work An International
Symposium The Economic and Social Research
Council, 23-24 June 2003
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Key Trends in Work and Employment Relations in
Australia

• From centralised to decentralised regulation of
  work and employment relations
• From awards and collectively negotiated
  agreements to individual contracts of employment
• From full-time, permanent and continuing jobs to
  contingent forms of work
• From a pluralist system of employment relations
  to a unitarist approach in which collective forms
  of worker representation are diminished

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The Regulation of Work and Employment in
Australia

• Previously
• A long tradition of centralised regulation of
  wages and conditions through awards and
  agreements in the Australia Industrial Relations
  Commission, at both the industry and national
  levels.
• Over the past decade
• Reduction in the scope of the Commissions
  jurisdiction to conciliate and arbitrate award
  matters. Encouragement of individualised
  agreements between workers and employers at the
  enterprise level.

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Table 1. Changes in the Levels of Unionisation
and Arrangements for Determining Wages and
Working Conditions in Australia
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The Changing Nature of Work and the Labour
Market

• Previously
• Predominantly permanent, full-time forms of
  employment with hours regulated by awards and
  collective agreements.
• Over the past decade
• Almost half of the workforce now employed in
  jobs which are casual, part-time and/or fixed
  contract. Increased average working hours with
  unpaid overtime.

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Table 2. The Changing Composition of the
Workforce in Fulltime and Less than Fulltime
Work in Australia
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Table 3. The Changing Composition of the
Workforce by Employment Status in Australia
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Changing Work and Family Issues

• Previously
• Assumption of a male breadwinner model with
  the male partner in fulltime work and the female
  in part-time employment and caring for children.
• Over the past decade
• Significant increases in the labour force
  participation of women with children. Increasing
  proportion of families with either dual earners
  or no-earners. Inadequate paid carers leave and
  childcare arrangements now major worklife issues.
  

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Changes in the Social Contract at Work

• Previously
• The pillars of the implicit social contract
  between workers, employers and the government
  included access to employment for all who were
  willing and able to work, the provision of
  education and training for work and the
  expectation of basic economic security in
  retirement.
• Over the past decade
• Employment has become increasingly insecure, the
  provision of training by employers has declined
  and retirement incomes have diminished in value.
  

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Major Challenges Facing Work and Worklife

• How to reduce pressures on workers and their
  families arising from job insecurity and
  increased working hours?
• How to raise the levels of skill and knowledge of
  the workforce to be able to adapt to changes and
  obtain sustainable jobs?
• How to provide greater opportunities for workers
  to participate in decision-making and governance
  of their workplaces?
• How to support and reform labour market
  institutions to achieve equity and efficiency at
  work?