WHAT'S NEW IN THE LABOUR FORCE
REMOTE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMUNITY ENUMERATION
For practical reasons, the ABS uses a shorter version of the standard Labour Force Survey questionnaire to collect key labour force information from selected remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
From 1 July 2013 the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) came into effect to provide employment services for people living in remote Australia. It draws on four programs that have been delivered in remote Australia: Job Services Australia, Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), Indigenous Employment Program and Disability Employment Services.
The shorter version of the questionnaire has been modified slightly from July 2013 to coincide with the introduction of RJCP to differentiate between those working under CDEP (wages) and those working under RJCP/CDEP (income support payments). Those employed under CDEP (wages) will be classified as employed because they have an employer/employee relationship, while those under RJCP/CDEP (income support payments) will be classified as unemployed or not in the labour force, depending on whether or not they are looking for work. The latter group are not considered to have an employer/employee relationship because they receive income support benefits rather than wages.
This change aligns the treatment of these programs with the labour force definitions and may have a minor impact on estimates for the Northern Territory. The ABS will monitor the estimates for any potential impact and will advise if this change resulted in a measurable impact on the estimates. For further information on collection of CDEP, refer to the Concepts, Sources and Methods section of the Labour Force Characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2011 (cat. no. 6287.0).
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