6359.0 - Forms of Employment, Australia, Nov 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/05/2005   
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MEDIA RELEASE

May 19, 2005
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
64/2005
One in Four Working 45 Hours or More a Week: ABS

One in four (24%) of the 9.6 million employed persons in Australia aged 15 years and over in November 2004 worked for 45 hours or more in their main job, according to survey results released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

More than half (59%) of employed persons who worked 45 hours or more were employees1 with paid leave entitlements, and a further 35% were owner managers. Just over three-quarters (76%) of employees1 without paid leave entitlements worked less than 35 hours in their main job. Over half (54%) of these worked 15 hours or less.

Almost one-quarter (24%) of all employed persons had been with their employer or business for more than 10 years. For employees1 with paid leave entitlements, 24% had been with their employer for more than 10 years, compared with 5% for employees1 without paid leave entitlements.

One in 10 employed persons (in November 2004) did not expect to be with their current employer or business in 12 months time. In comparison, close to one-quarter (23%) of employees1 without paid leave entitlements said they did not expect to be with their current employer or business in 12 months time.

Almost two in five of the 221,000 employees1 working on a contract basis worked either in the property and business services industry (19%) or in the education industry (18%). Almost one-third (31%) of employees1 who worked on a contract basis were professionals.

The survey also found that of employed persons:
  • 60% were employees1 with paid leave entitlements.
  • 21% were employees1 without paid leave entitlements.
  • 19% were owner managers of incorporated or unincorporated enterprises. Of this group, nearly two-thirds (64%) were owner managers of unincorporated enterprises.

Further details can be found in Forms of Employment Survey, Australia, November 2004 (cat. no. 6359.0).

Media note: 1Unless expressly stated otherwise, the employee figures in this media release exclude owner managers of incorporated enterprises. An owner manager of an incorporated enterprise can be considered an employee of their business, however, they have been presented separately from other employees in this survey.