• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

GLOSSARY

Actively looking for work

Persons who were taking active steps to find work. Active steps comprise:

• registering with a Job Network employment agency
• contacting an employment agency
• contacting prospective employers
• answering a newspaper advertisement for a job
• checking Centrelink touchscreens
• checking factory notice boards
• advertising or tendering for work

A series or stream of payments made at regular intervals, usually purchased with a lump sum from a life insurance company, typically to provide retirement income.

Available to start work

For persons not in the labour force, those who were available to start work in the reference week or within four weeks.

Available to start work with more hours

Employed persons who usually worked 0 to 15 hours per week in all jobs and were available to start work with more hours in the reference week or within four weeks.

Current job

The job in which a person currently works.

Did not prefer to work more hours

People who said 'no' or 'don't know' when asked 'would you prefer to work more hours than you usually work?'.

Duration of current main job/last job

Length of time worked in current main job/last job.

Educational attainment

Level of highest educational attainment identifies the highest achievement a person has attained in any area of study. It is defined as the highest educational attainment a person has achieved, and is not a measurement of relative importance of different fields of study.

Employed

Persons who, during the reference week:

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a 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 week period 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.

Employees excluding Owner Managers of Incorporated Enterprises (OMIEs), who were entitled to either paid sick leave or paid holiday leave (or both).

Employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements

Employees excluding OMIEs, who were not entitled to, or did not know whether they were entitled to, paid sick and paid holiday leave.

Employment types

Classification of employed persons according to the following employment type categories on the basis of their main job (that is, the job in which they usually work the most hours):

Employee (excluding owner-manager of incorporated enterprise)

• with paid leave entitlements
• without paid leave entitlements

• owner managers of incorporated enterprises
• owner managers of unincorporated enterprises

Family

Two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.

Full-time educational attendance

Persons aged 15-19 who, during the reference week were enrolled full-time at secondary or high schools, and those aged 15-24 who, during the reference week, were enrolled full-time at a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) college, university, or other tertiary educational institution.

Full-time workers (usual)

Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs).

Future starters

Persons who were not employed during the reference week, were waiting to start a 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.

Government pension/allowance

Income support payments from government to persons under social security and related government programs. Included are pensions and allowances received by aged, disabled, unemployed and sick persons, families and children, veterans and their survivors, and study allowances for students. Payments made by overseas governments as well as the Australian government are included.

Gross income

Regular and recurring cash receipts including monies received from wages and salaries, government pensions and allowances, and other regular receipts such as superannuation, workers' compensation, child support, scholarships, profit or loss from own unincorporated business or partnership, and property income. Gross income is the sum of current income from all these sources before income tax or the Medicare levy have been deducted.

Group jack-knife method

This method of calculating standard errors starts by dividing the survey sample into a number of approximately equal-sized groups (replicate groups). Replicate estimates of the population total are then calculated from the sample by excluding each replicate group in turn. The jack-knife variance is derived from the variation of the respective replicate estimates around the estimate based on the whole sample.

Has ever worked for two weeks or more

Persons who are not in the labour force or are unemployed and have previously worked for two weeks or more.

Incorporated enterprise

An enterprise which is registered as a separate legal entity to its members or owners. Also known as a limited liability company.

Industry

All occurrences of industry refer to Division, as classified by the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 1993 (cat. no. 1292.0).

Intends to partially retire

Full-time workers who indicated that they intend to give up full-time work and work part-time but never retire from the work force.

Intends to retire from full-time work

Employed persons who indicated that they intend to give up working full-time and partially retire and/or retire from the labour force. This concept has changed since the 1997 issue of this publication - previously defined as 'those persons who indicated that they intend to give up working or looking for full-time work'.

Intends to retire from the labour force

Those persons who indicated that they intend to give up all labour force activity, that is working or looking for work.

Labour Force

The civilian population can be split into two mutually exclusive groups: the labour force (employed and unemployed persons) and persons not in the labour force.

Last job

Refers to last job less than 20 years ago.

Looking for work with more hours

Refers to persons who indicated that they had done something in the last four weeks to obtain more hours of work.

Main English-speaking countries

Comprises the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, the United States of America and New Zealand.

Main job

The job in which most hours were usually worked.

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 Post Graduate 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 attained concurrently with school qualifications.

Not employed

Persons who are either unemployed or not in the labour force.

Not retired from the labour force

People aged 45 years and over who have, at some time, worked for two weeks or more and were not retired from the labour force. That is, either employed or intending to look for, or take up, work in the future.

Occupation

All occurrences of occupation in this publication refer to Major Group as defined by ASCO - Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, Second Edition (cat. no. 1220.0).

Owner managers

Persons who work in their own business, with or without employees, whether or not the business is of limited liability.

Owner managers of incorporated enterprises

Persons who work in their own unincorporated enterprise, that is, a business entity which is registered as a separate legal entity to its members or owners (also known as a limited liability company).

Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises

Persons who operate their own unincorporated enterprise, that is, a business entity in which the owner and the business are legally inseparable, so that the owner is liable for any business debts that are incurred. Includes those engaged independently in a trade or profession.

Part-time workers (usual)

Employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs).

Permanently not intending to work

Persons who said that they were permanently not intending to work.

Persons in the labour force

Persons who were classified as being in the labour force, that is, either employed or unemployed.

Persons not in the labour force

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

Preferred to work more hours

Employed persons who usually work 0 to 15 hours each week and would prefer to work more hours than they usually work.

Previous job

Persons who are not in the labour force or are unemployed, who have previously worked for two weeks or more, less than 20 years ago.

Reference week

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

Relationship in household

The relationship of people who live in the same household.

Retired from the labour force

Persons who had previously worked for two weeks or more and had retired from work or looking for work, and did not intend to look for, or take up, work in the future. This concept has changed since the 1997 issue - previously 'persons who had retired from work or looking for work of more than 10 hours per week, and did not intend to work at any time in the future. These people are considered fully retired. Persons who have never worked more than 10 hours per week were also treated as fully retired'.

Retirement scheme

Includes superannuation schemes, life assurance policies or similar schemes that provide financial benefit when a person leaves work.

Status in employment

Employed persons classified by whether they were employees, employers, own account workers, or contributing family workers.

Superannuation scheme

Any fund, association or organisation set up for the purpose of providing financial cover for members when they retire from work. For this survey, information about superannuation scheme membership was collected if the respondent indicated that contributions had been made to a scheme. Contributions could either have been made by the respondent, the respondent's partner or the respondent's employer.

Time since last job

The elapsed time since ceasing last job.

Took inactive steps

People who did not take active steps to look for work (see actively looking for work). Includes only looked in newspapers.

Unemployed

Persons 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.

A business entity in which the owner and the business are legally inseparable, so that the owner is liable for any business debts that are incurred.

Unpaid activities

Includes caring for own children or other people's children including grandchildren. Also includes caring for elderly or someone with long-term illness or disability.

Usual number of hours

The number of hours usually worked in a week in all jobs.

Would like a paid job

Persons who are not in the labour force and would like a paid job of any kind. Includes people who said 'depends'.

Would like more hours

See 'preferred to work more hours'.

Would not like a paid job

Persons who were not classified as employed or unemployed who answered 'no' or don't know when asked if they would like a paid job.