APPENDIX 1 - Employment Classifications
APPENDIX 2 - Populations and Data Items List
APPENDIX 3 - Supplementary Surveys
APPENDIX 1 EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATIONS
INTRODUCTION
The ABS publishes statistics about people in different types of employment, and their working arrangements. These statistics are derived from a number of household surveys including the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Forms of Employment Survey (FOES). In these surveys, employed people are classified using categories which capture the essential nature of their employment arrangements.
This appendix describes how people are classified to different employment categories in FOES and compares these employment categories with the standard ABS status in employment classification.
FOES has been designed to examine the changing nature of the Australian labour market, to chart the emergence of different forms of employment, and to provide a source of information about people's working arrangements that are not effectively measured by existing classifications and definitions.
STATUS IN EMPLOYMENT
The LFS status in employment classification is a classification of employed persons, based on the International Labour Organisation's 1993 International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE). Within the ICSE, employed persons are allocated to five mutually exclusive categories according to the type of job held:
- employees;
- employers;
- own account workers;
- contributing family workers; and
- members of producers' cooperatives.
The ABS adopts the broad level ICSE classification, but excludes the 'members of producers' cooperatives' category due to its lack of relevance to the Australian situation.
Below the broad level of classification, the ICSE is not prescriptive but gives some guidance on the more detailed types of employment situations that countries might be interested in identifying. Prior to FOES, the ABS had not attempted to identify more detailed categories, with the exception of its long-standing permanent/casual measure for employees.
The groups in the ABS status in employment classification are:
- Employee: a person who works for a public or private employer and receives remuneration in wages, salary, a retainer fee by their employer while working on a commission basis, tips, piece-rates or payment in kind, or a person who operates his or her own incorporated enterprise with or without hiring employees.
- Employer: a person who operates his or her own unincorporated economic enterprise or engages independently in a profession or trade, and hires one or more employees.
- Own Account Worker: a person who operates his or her own unincorporated enterprise or engages independently in a profession or trade, and hires no employees.
- Contributing Family Worker: a person who works without pay in an economic enterprise operated by a relative. This group was excluded from the FOES.
Use of the status in employment classification in the Labour Force Survey
The main source of regular status in employment statistics is the LFS, a large-scale household survey which yields official monthly estimates of employment and unemployment. Status in employment is determined largely on the basis of a person's perception of their relationship to the establishment or enterprise in which they work. It is expected that most people would be classified to an appropriate category using this approach. However, in cases where people's working arrangements are less clear-cut, more objective criteria may give different results.
EMPLOYMENT TYPES IN FORMS OF EMPLOYMENT SURVEY
The employment type classification used in FOES 2004 accords with the status in employment classification at the broad level. The following describes the ways in which the FOES employment classification expands on the existing status in employment classification used in the LFS.
The ICSE notes that while it is consistent with the System of National Accounts to classify people working in their own incorporated enterprise as employees (OMIEs), in many respects they have more in common with Owner managers, for example in terms of their authority in, and responsibility for, the business, and may be best classified this way for labour market analysis. In this publication OMIEs are presented as a separate category, as are Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises (OMUEs). Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises can be further classified into two groups: Employers (i.e. hires one or more employees); and Own account workers (i.e. hires no employees). It is important to note that on occasion these two populations (OMIEs and OMUEs) have been combined to create the group 'Owner managers'.
Employees (excluding OMIEs) were divided into categories according to their leave entitlements.
The four employment types that have been identified in FOES 2004 are:
- Employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements;
- Employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements;
- Owner managers of incorporated enterprises; and
- Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises.
The Conceptual Framework section of this publication describes how responses in the FOES were used to determine employment type.
APPENDIX 2 POPULATIONS AND DATA ITEMS LIST
DATA AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
The ABS has a range of data available on request from the Forms of Employment Survey. This section lists the data items and populations which relate to the survey. More detailed breakdowns of some data items may also be available on request. The population(s) for a particular data item refers to the person in the survey to whom the data item relates. Where alternative output categories are available for the same data item, these are shown and the data item name is followed by a bracketed numeral (e.g. Country of birth (2)).
For more information about ABS data available on request, contact Debbie Hansard on Canberra (02) 6252 7206, or by facsimile on (02) 6252 7512, or by email to <d.hansard@abs.gov.au>.
Population 1
Employees (excluding OMIEs) with paid leave entitlements
Population 2
Employees (excluding OMIEs) without paid leave entitlements
Population 3
Owner managers of incorporated enterprises
Population 4
Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises
Population 5
Employed persons
| Data items | Populations |
|
| 1 | State or Territory of usual residence | All |
 | | New South Wales | |
| | Victoria | |
| | Queensland | |
| | South Australia | |
| | Western Australia | |
| | Tasmania | |
| | Northern Territory | |
| | Australian Capital Territory | |
| 2 | Area of usual residence | All |
| | State capital city | |
| | Balance of state/territory | |
| 3 | Region of usual residence | All |
| | Standard labour force dissemination regions | |
| 4 | Sex | All |
| | Males | |
| | Females | |
| 5 | Marital status | All |
| | Married | |
| | Not married | |
| 6 | Relationship in household | All |
| | Family member | |
| | | Husband, wife or partner | |
| | | | With dependants | |
| | | | Without dependants | |
| | | Lone parent | |
| | | | With dependants | |
| | | | Without dependants | |
| | | Dependent student | |
| | | Non-dependent child | |
| | | Other family person | |
| | Non-family member | |
| | | Lone person | |
| | | Not living alone | |
| | Relationship not determined | |
| 7A | Country of birth and period of arrival | All |
| | Born in Australia | |
| | Born overseas | |
| | | Arrived before 1971 | |
| | | Arrived 1971-1980 | |
| | | Arrived 1981-1990 | |
| | | Arrived 1991-2000 | |
| | | Arrived 2001 to survey date | |
| | | Note: Year of arrival collected in single years | |
| 7B | Country of birth (1) | All |
| | Born in Australia | |
| | Born overseas | |
| | | Born in main English-speaking countries | |
| | | Born in other than main English-speaking countries | |
| 7C | Country of birth (2) | All |
| | Born in Australia | |
| | Born overseas | |
| | | Oceania and Antarctica | |
| | | North-West Europe | |
| | | Southern and Eastern Europe | |
| | | North Africa and the Middle East | |
| | | South-East Asia | |
| | | North-East Asia | |
| | | Southern and Central Asia | |
| | | Americas | |
| | | Sub-Saharan Africa | |
| | | Other | |
| 8 | Age group (years) | All |
| | 15-19 | |
| | 20-24 | |
| | 25-34 | |
| | 35-44 | |
| | 45-54 | |
| | 55-59 | |
| | 60-64 | |
| | 65 and over | |
| | Note: Age collected in single years. | |
| 9 | Full-time or part-time status | All |
| | Full-time workers | |
| | Part-time workers | |
| 10 | Occupation | All |
| | Managers and administrators | |
| | Professionals | |
| | Associate professionals | |
| | Tradespersons and related workers | |
| | Advanced clerical and service workers | |
| | Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers | |
| | Intermediate production and transport workers | |
| | Elementary clerical, sales and service workers | |
| | Labourers and related workers | |
| 11 | Industry | All |
| | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | |
| | Mining | |
| | Manufacturing | |
| | Electricity, gas and water supply | |
| | Construction | |
| | Wholesale trade | |
| | Retail trade | |
| | Accommodation, cafes and restaurants | |
| | Transport and storage | |
| | Communication services | |
| | Finance and insurance | |
| | Property and business services | |
| | Government administration and defence | |
| | Education | |
| | Health and community services | |
| | Cultural and recreational services | |
| | Personal and other services | |
| 12 | Whether has employees | 3,4 |
| | Not applicable | |
| | Has employees | |
| | Does not have employees | |
| 13 | Whether has paid leave entitlements in main job | 1,2 |
| | With paid leave entitlements | |
| | Without paid leave entitlements | |
| | Did not know | |
| 14 | Whether entitled to paid holiday leave | 1,2 |
| | Entitled to paid holiday leave | |
| | Not entitled to paid holiday leave | |
| | Did not know | |
| 15 | Whether entitled to paid sick leave | 1,2 |
| | Entitled to paid sick leave | |
| | Not entitled to paid sick leave | |
| | Did not know | |
| 16 | Whether entitled to long service leave | 1,2 |
| | Entitled to long service leave | |
| | Not entitled to long service leave | |
| | Did not know | |
| 17 | Whether entitled to paid maternity/paternity leave | 1,2 |
| | Entitled to paid maternity/paternity leave | |
| | Not entitled to paid maternity/paternity leave | |
| | Did not know | |
| 18 | Whether works on a contract basis | All |
| | Works on a contract basis | |
| | Does not work on a contract basis | |
| 19 | Continuous duration with current employer or business | All |
| | Under 1 year | |
| | 1-2 years | |
| | 3-5 years | |
| | 6-10 years | |
| | More than 10 years | |
| 20 | Reason expected duration with current employer or business less than 1 year | All |
| | Changing jobs/seeking other employment | |
| | Return to study/travel/family reasons | |
| | Retiring | |
| | Seasonal/temporary job/fixed contract | |
| | Employer/business closing down/downsizing | |
| | Other | |
| 21 | Whether employment has a set completion date or event | 1,2 |
| | Set completion date | |
| | Set completion event | |
| | No set completion date or event | |
| 22 | Length of set employment completion date or event | 1,2 |
| | Employment has a set completion date or event | |
| | | Under 1 year | |
| | | 1-5 years | |
| | | More than 5 years | |
| | Employment does not have a set completion date or event | |
| 23 | Whether works on a fixed-term contract | 1,2 |
| | Works on a fixed-term contract | |
| | Does not work on a fixed-term contract | |
| 24 | Whether expects contract to be renewed | 1,2 |
| | Expects contract to be renewed | |
| | Does not expect contract to be renewed | |
| 25 | Status in employment | All |
| | Employee (including OMIEs) | |
| | Employer | |
| | Own account worker | |
| 26 | Employment type | All |
| | Employee (excluding OMIEs) | |
| | | With paid leave entitlements | |
| | | Without paid leave entitlements | |
| | Owner managers of incorporated enterprises | |
| | Owner managers of unincorporated enterprises | |
| 27 | Hours worked in main job in the reference week | All |
| | Worked less than 35 hours | |
| | | Less than 1 hour/no hours | |
| | | 1-15 | |
| | | 16-19 | |
| | | 20-24 | |
| | | 25-29 | |
| | | 30-34 | |
| | Worked 35 hours or more | |
| | | 35 | |
| | | 36-39 | |
| | | 40 | |
| | | 41-44 | |
| | | 45-48 | |
| | | 49 and over | |
| 28 | Educational attendance | All |
| | Currently a full-time student | |
| | Not currently a full-time student | |
| | Did not know | |
| 29 | Expected future duration with current employer or business | All |
| | Expects to be with current employer or business in 12 months | |
| | Does not expect to be with current employer or business in 12 months | |
| 30 | Whether considers job to be casual | 1,2 |
| | Considers job to be casual | |
| | Does not consider job to be casual | |
|
APPENDIX 3 SUPPLEMENTARY SURVEYS
SUPPLEMENTARY SURVEYS
The Monthly Population Survey program collects data on particular aspects of the labour force. The following is an historical list of supplementary surveys to the monthly labour force survey. Data from these surveys are available on request and can be obtained by contacting the ABS.
| cat. no. | Frequency | Latest issue | |
| |
| Career Experience, Australia | 6254.0 | Irregular | November 2002 | |
| Career Paths of Persons with Trade Qualifications, Australia | 6243.0 | Discontinued | Final issue 1993 | |
| Child Care, Australia | 4402.0 | Irregular | June 2002 | |
| Education and Work, Australia | 6227.0 | Annual | May 2004 | |
| Employee Earnings, Benefits, and Trade Union Membership, Australia | 6310.0 | Annual | August 2004 | |
| Forms of Employment, Australia | 6359.0 | Irregular | November 2004 | |
| Job Search Experience, Australia | 6222.0 | Annual | July 2004 | |
| Labour Force Experience, Australia | 6206.0 | Biennial | February 2003 | |
| Labour Force Status and Educational Attainment, Australia | 6235.0 | Discontinued | Final issue 1994 | |
| Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia(a) | 6224.0 | Discontinued | Final issue 2000 | |
| Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Migrants, Australia | 6250.0 | Irregular | November 1999 | |
| Labour Mobility, Australia | 6209.0 | Biennial | February 2004 | |
| Locations of Work, Australia | 6275.0 | Irregular | June 2000 | |
| Multiple Jobholding, Australia(b) | 6216.0 | Irregular | August 1997 | |
| Participation in Education, Australia | 6272.0 | Discontinued | Final issue 1999 | |
| Persons Not in the Labour Force, Australia | 6220.0 | Annual | September 2004 | |
| Persons Who had Re-entered the Labour Force, Australia | 6264.0.40.001 | Discontinued | Final issue 1995 | |
| Persons Who Have Left the Labour Force, Australia | 6267.0.40.001 | Discontinued | Final issue 1994 | |
| Retirement and Retirement Intentions, Australia | 6238.0 | Irregular | November 1997 | |
| Retrenchment and Redundancy, Australia | 6266.0 | Irregular | July 2001 | |
| Successful and Unsuccessful Job Search Experience, Australia | 6245.0 | Discontinued | Final issue 2000 | |
| Superannuation, Australia | 6319.0 | Discontinued | Final issue 1995 | |
| Underemployed Workers, Australia | 6265.0 | Annual | September 2004 | |
| Working Arrangements, Australia | 6342.0 | Irregular | November 2003 | |
| Work-Related Injuries, Australia | 6324.0 | Irregular | September 2000 | |
| |
| (a) Latest data available June 2004, from the ABS web site cat. no. 6291.0.55.001 annual, or on request. |
| (b) Latest data available on request July 2001. |
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