6105.0 - Australian Labour Market Statistics, Oct 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/10/2005   
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LABOUR STATISTICS NEWS


LABOUR THEME PAGE

The ABS Labour Theme Page, available on the ABS web site, provides a guide to the range of ABS statistics on the labour market, as well as links to the latest data released. To find the Theme Page, go to <https://www.abs.gov.au> (Themes - People - Labour).



LABOUR FORCE SURVEY STANDARD ERRORS

The ABS has recently introduced updated standard error models. These models are now used to calculate standard errors for estimates from the Labour Force Survey, and affect the standard error of estimates from November 2002 onwards. For information on sampling error and the standard error models designed by the ABS to simplify the calculation of standard errors for Labour Force Survey estimates, see the technical report in this issue: 'Standard Error Models for the Labour Force Survey'.



CHANGES TO THE 2006 SURVEY OF EMPLOYEE EARNINGS AND HOURS

The two-yearly Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (EEH) will next be conducted in May 2006. EEH provides statistics on earnings and hours paid for, and on the coverage and pay outcomes of employees on awards, registered agreements and informal arrangements.


The federal government is planning to introduce significant changes to the workplace relations system in the near future, including new arrangements for setting minimum wages and conditions. The proposed changes will have a significant impact on the EEH survey questions relating to pay setting arrangements.


The timing of the implementation of the changes to the workplace relations system is likely to coincide with the conduct of the 2006 EEH survey. Due to the uncertainty surrounding pay setting arrangements during the implementation phase, the ABS is proposing to not collect data on pay setting arrangements in the 2006 EEH survey. The 2006 survey will continue to collect information on the composition and distribution of employee earnings and hours. The survey questions relating to pay setting arrangements will be redeveloped following the implementation of the new workplace relations system and the questions will be reintroduced into the subsequent EEH survey, which is scheduled for May 2008.



FREE PUBLICATIONS ON THE WEB

ABS publications are now available free of charge on the ABS web site. This includes Adobe Acrobat and HTML publications such as Australian Labour Market Statistics, and the spreadsheets Table 1 Measures of underutilisation and Table 2 Types of Employment 1992-2004.



SUPPLEMENTARY SURVEYS ON LABOUR TOPICS

The Monthly Population Survey comprises the Labour Force Survey and a range of supplementary surveys, which provide detailed information on a range of topics. Labour Force Experience, Australia (cat. no. 6206.0) was released on 28 July 2005.



ABS EMAIL NOTIFICATION SERVICE

By subscribing to this free service, you will be kept informed via email of the latest releases of ABS products. To subscribe, follow the link from the ABS home page <https://www.abs.gov.au>, provide your email address, and select your topics of interest.


Recent and upcoming statistical releases

Release date/title of publication
Reference period
Catalogue number

September 2005
Industrial Disputes, Australia
June quarter 2005
6321.0.55.001
Job Vacancies, Australia
August 2005
6354.0
Labour Force, Australia
August 2005
6202.0
Labour Force, Australia - Detailed Delivery
August 2005
6291.0.55.001
Labour Force Survey Standard Errors
2005
6298.0
Labour Force Survey Standard Errors, Spreadsheets
2005
6298.0.55.001
Wage and Salary Earners, Public Sector, Australia
June quarter 2005
6248.0.55.001
Information Paper: ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations
2005
1221.0
Information Paper: Census of Population and Housing - Proposed Products and Services
2006
2011.0
October 2005
Australian Labour Market Statistics
October 2005
6105.0
Labour Force, Australia
September 2005
6202.0
Labour Force, Australia - Detailed Delivery
September 2005
6291.0.55.001
Information Paper: Changes to ABS Measures of Employee Remuneration
2005
6313.0
November 2005
2006 Census of Population and Housing: Nature and Content
2006
2008.0
Average Weekly Earnings, Australia
August 2005
6302.0
Household Expenditure Survey and Survey of Income and Housing, User Guide
2005
6503.0
Household Expenditure Survey and Survey of Income and Housing - Confidentialised Unit Record Files
2003-04
6540.0
Household Expenditure Survey and Survey of Income and Housing - Confidentialised Unit Record Files, Technical Paper
2003-04
6540.0.00.001
Labour Force, Australia
October 2005
6202.0
Labour Force, Australia - Detailed Delivery
October 2005
6291.0.55.001
Labour Price Index, Australia
September quarter 2005
6345.0
Information Paper: ANZSIC 2006 Implementation
2006
1295.0
December 2005
Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation, Australia
August 2004 to June 2005
6239.0
Education and Work, Australia
May 2005
6227.0
Industrial Disputes, Australia
September quarter 2005
6321.0.55.001
Labour Force, Australia
November 2005
6202.0
Labour Force, Australia - Detailed Delivery
November 2005
6291.0.55.001
Retirement and Retirement Intentions, Australia
August 2004 to June 2005
6238.0
Wage and Salary Earners, Public Sector, Australia
September quarter 2005
6248.0.55.001
January 2006
Australian Labour Market Statistics
January 2006
6105.0
Job Search Experience, Australia
July 2005
6222.0
Job Vacancies, Australia
November 2005
6354.0
Labour Force, Australia
December 2005
6202.0
Labour Force, Australia - Detailed Delivery
December 2005
6291.0.55.001
Year Book Australia
2006
1301.0



NOTES

FORTHCOMING ISSUES

ISSUE (QUARTER) Release Date
January 2006 6 January 2006



CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

In this issue of Australian Labour Market Statistics, the age groupings in table 1.2 have been revised. The table now presents labour force status by 5 year age groups, and provides a subtotal for the 15-64 year age group.



DATA CONTAINED IN THIS ISSUE

The statistics shown are the latest available at 15 September 2005. Data sources for the tables in this publication are listed in Appendix 1.



ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS

The spreadsheets and data cubes referenced in this publication are available on the ABS web site at <https://www.abs.gov.au> [AusStats - Publications and Data], then [Data Cubes] or [Time Series Spreadsheets].


INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Assistant Director, Labour Market Statistics Section, on Canberra 02 6252 7636.


LABOUR MARKET SUMMARY


KEY MEASURES

% change from
Measure
Series type
Period
Current figure
Previous quarter(a)
Previous year(b)

Employed
Persons '000
Trend
Aug 2005
10 056.4
0.7
3.6
Full-time '000
Trend
Aug 2005
7 187.8
0.6
3.4
Part-time '000
Trend
Aug 2005
2 868.6
0.7
4.3
Part-time employment as a proportion of total employment %
Trend
Aug 2005
28.5
(c)0.0
(c)0.2
Unemployed
Persons '000
Trend
Aug 2005
527.5
-1.3
-7.1
Looking for full-time work '000
Trend
Aug 2005
369.4
-2.1
-8.9
Looking for part-time work '000
Trend
Aug 2005
158.2
0.4
-2.7
Unemployment rate
Persons %
Trend
Aug 2005
5.0
(c)-0.1
(c)-0.5
Long-term unemployment
Persons '000
Trend
Aug 2005
89.5
-2.7
-24.1
As a proportion of total unemployment %
Trend
Aug 2005
17.0
(c)-0.2
(c)-3.8
Annual labour underutilisation rates(d)
Long-term unemployment rate %
Original
Sep 2004
1.2
na
(c)-0.1
Unemployment rate %
Original
Sep 2004
5.5
na
(c)-0.4
Underemployment rate %
Original
Sep 2004
5.6
na
(c)0.0
Labour force underutilisation rate %
Original
Sep 2004
11.1
na
(c)-0.4
Extended labour force underutilisation rate %
Original
Sep 2004
12.2
na
(c)-0.3
Children living without an employed parent(e) %
Original
Jun 2005
14.9
na
(c)-2.3
Labour force participation rate
Persons aged 15-64 years %
Original
Aug 2005
75.1
(c)-0.5
(c)1.5
Total %
Trend
Aug 2005
64.7
(c)0.2
(c)1.2
Actual hours worked
Aggregate weekly hours mill. hours
Original
Aug 2005
346.5
0.3
4.2
Average weekly hours - persons hours
Original
Aug 2005
34.7
0.3
0.0
Average weekly hours - full-time hours
Original
Aug 2005
42.0
0.0
0.2
Average weekly hours - part-time hours
Original
Aug 2005
16.9
1.8
1.1
Part-time workers
Proportion who preferred to work more hours %
Original
Aug 2005
24.0
(c)-1.1
(c)-2.1
Wage price index
Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses index no.
Trend
Jun qtr 2005
105.4
1.1
4.0
Average weekly earnings
Full-time adult ordinary time earnings $
Trend
May 2005
1 008.10
1.6
5.8
All employees total earnings $
Trend
May 2005
793.60
1.5
5.5
Compensation of employees
Household income account $m
Trend
Jun qtr 2005
104 014
1.9
7.3
Average earnings (National Accounts basis nominal) per week $
Trend
Jun qtr 2005
915
0.9
3.5
Industrial disputes
Working days lost '000
Original
Jun qtr 2005
51.7
14.5
-66.5
Working days lost per 1,000 employees number
Original
Jun qtr 2005
5.9
13.1
-67.6
Job vacancies
Australia '000
Trend
May 2005
151.0
4.6
26.3

na not available
(a) Same period previous quarter (monthly data is presented for the middle month of each quarter).
(b) Same period previous year.
(c) Change is in percentage points.
(d) See table 4.1 or the Glossary for further explanation of labour underutilisation rates.
(e) As a proportion of all children aged under 15 years. See the Explanatory Notes for information on family data.


EMPLOYMENT: TREND SERIES

Full-time and total employment
Graph: Trend full-time and total employment

Males and females
Graph: Trend employment for males and females




PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT: TREND SERIES
Proportion of total employment, Males
Graph: Trend male part-time employment as a proportion of total male employment

Proportion of total employment, Females
Graph: Trend female part-time employment as a proportion of total female employment




UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: TREND SERIES

Males and females
Graph: Trend unemployment rate for males and females




LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT: TREND SERIES

Proportion of total unemployment
Graph: Long-term unemployment as a proportion of total unemployment, males and females




UNDERUTILISED LABOUR

Labour underutilisation rates - 1994-2004
Graph: Labour underutilisation rates, 1994 to 2004




PARTICIPATION RATE: TREND SERIES

Persons
Graph: Trend participation rate

Males
Graph: Trend participation rate of males

Females
Graph: Trend participation rate of females




WAGE PRICE INDEX: TREND SERIES

Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses, Quarterly change
Graph: Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses, quarterly change




AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS: TREND SERIES

Full-time adult ordinary time earnings, Quarterly change
Graph: Quarterly change in full-time adult ordinary time earnings

All employees total earnings, Level
Graph: All employees total earnings, level




INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES: ORIGINAL SERIES

Working days lost, Quarter ending
Graph: Working days lost Quarter ending




JOB VACANCIES: TREND SERIES

Job vacancies, By sector
Graph: Job vacancies by sector