GLOSSARY

Australian citizen

Being an Australian citizen formalises a person's membership of the Australian community. It entitles a person to live permanently in Australia, hold an Australian passport and do such things as vote to elect Australia's governments, stand for parliament, work in the Public Service and serve in the armed forces. A person may acquire Australian citizenship in a number of ways, for example, by birth, adoption, descent, resumption or grant of Australian citizenship (naturalisation). Migrants no longer require a visa once citizenship is granted.

Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED)

The ASCED is a national standard classification which includes all sectors of the Australian education system: that is, schools, vocational education and training, and higher education. From 2001 ASCED replaced a number of classifications used in administrative and statistical systems, including the Australian Bureau of Statistics Classifications of Qualifications (ABSCQ). The ASCED comprises two classifications: Level of Education and Field of Education. See Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0).

Balance of state/territory

This area comprises the region outside the six state capital Statistical Divisions. The area includes the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory (except those in very remote areas).

Country of birth

Country of birth has been classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), Second Edition, 2008 (cat. no. 1269.0).

Employed

Persons who, during the reference week:

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job, business or 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 weeks up 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.

Employed full time

Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 or more during the reference week.

Employed part time

Employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.

Had a job since arrival

Includes persons who currently have a job or who had a job at some time since their arrival.

Job network or employment agency

A government or private agency that provides various kinds of support for people looking for work, to help them find and keep a job.

Labour force

Persons who were in the categories 'employed' or 'unemployed' as defined.

Level of highest non-school qualification

Level of highest non-school qualification identifies the highest qualification a person has attained in any area of study. It is not a measurement of the relative importance of different fields of study but a ranking of qualifications and other educational attainments regardless of the particular area of study or the type of institution in which the study was undertaken.

It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Level of Education classification.

Main applicant

The 'main applicant' is generally the person whose skills or proposed activities in Australia are assessed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) as part of their visa application. They will usually have been specifically identified on the application form as the 'main applicant'.

Main English-speaking countries

This refers to 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 field of non-school qualification

Main field of non-school qualification is defined as the subject matter of the qualification. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Field of Education classification.

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, Master Degree level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate level, Bachelor Degree level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. Non-school qualifications may be obtained concurrently with school qualifications.

Not in the labour force

Persons who were not in the categories 'employed' or 'unemployed' as defined.

Occupation

From 2006, occupation is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), First Edition, 2006 (cat. no. 1220.0).

Other applicant

A person whose visa was granted on the basis of being the family member (eg. spouse, dependent child) of a person who qualified for a visa. They will have been identified on the visa application as an 'other' or secondary applicant with the person who met the visa criteria being specifically identified on the visa application as the 'main applicant'.

Participation rate

For any group, the labour force expressed as a percentage of all persons aged 15 years and over in the same group.

Permanent visa

The permission or authority granted by Australia for foreign nationals to live in Australia permanently.

Recent migrant

A person who was born overseas, who arrived in Australia after 1997, was aged 15 years or over on arrival, was not an Australian citizen on arrival, was not born in New Zealand, does not hold New Zealand citizenship, and has permanent Australian resident status.

Reference week

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

State capital cities

This area comprises the Statistical Divisions of the six state capital cities which are defined in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), July 2007 (cat. no. 1216.0).

Temporary resident

A person who was born overseas, who arrived in Australia after 1997, was aged 15 years or over on arrival, was not an Australian citizen on arrival, was not born in New Zealand, does not hold New Zealand citizenship, and has a temporary visa.

Temporary visa

The permission or authority granted by Australia for foreign national to travel to Australia and stay up to a specified period of time. Temporary entrants for this survey include:

• tourists
• students
• business people
• people with specialist skills, such as managers, academics and medical practitioners
• people who make a social or cultural contribution to the community, such as entertainers, media and film staff, sports people, religious workers, visiting academics and public lecturers
• people who contribute to the development of international relations, such as participants in exchange programs and working holiday makers.

Type of visa as at November 2007

The visa the respondent held at the time of interview, that allowed them to stay in Australia. Categories for type of visa as at November 2007 are:

• Permanent Skilled - Skilled migrants are selected on the basis of their age, skills and their ability to quickly make a contribution to the Australian economy. Includes Independent, Australian sponsored, Employer/State sponsored and Business skills visas.
• Permanent Family - Includes partner, child and parent visas.
• Permanent Humanitarian - Includes humanitarian and refugee visas.
• Permanent Other - Includes all other permanent visa categories or where the type of permanent visa could not be determined.
• Temporary Student - Temporary student visas are granted to people studying or seeking study, training or skills development in Australia and planning to stay in Australia for 12 months or more.
• Temporary Long-term business - Includes Temporary Business (Long stay) - standard business sponsorship visa, Educational visa and Medical practitioner visa.
• Temporary Other - Includes tourists, working holiday makers and visitors planning to stay in Australia for 12 months or more or where the type of temporary visa could not be determined.

Type of visa on most recent arrival to live in Australia

The visa the respondent held when they most recently arrived in Australia to live that allowed them to come to Australia. Categories for type of visa on most recent arrival to live in Australia are as for 'Type of visa as at November 2007'.

Unemployed

Persons aged 15 years and over 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.

Unemployment rate

For any group, the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force in the same group.