NOTES
ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION
This publication presents information about the distribution of weekly earnings of employees, their entitlement to leave (paid holiday, paid sick, long service and paid maternity/paternity leave), superannuation coverage and trade union membership. This information can be cross-classified by a range of personal characteristics such as age, sex and country of birth, and by characteristics of employment such as full-time or part-time status, industry and occupation of main job.
The statistics in this publication were compiled from the Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership Survey conducted throughout Australia in August 2007 as a supplement to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS). Questions were asked of all employees in their main job except for those who worked solely for payment in kind in their main job.
CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE
In 2007, as a result of a change in the concept being measured, employees were asked to include salary sacrifice when estimating their earnings. In previous years, there has not been any explicit reference to the treatment of salary sacrifice, yet it is probable that some employees were already including amounts of salary sacrifice in their estimates of earnings, depending upon how their pay was reported. As a result of this change there has been a break in series. Users therefore need to exercise care when comparing the earnings of employees in this publication with previous releases. For more information see paragraphs 26-27 of the Explanatory Notes.
In 2007, all employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIEs)) were asked if they were employed as a casual. In 2006, owner managers of incorporated enterprises and employees who received both paid sick and paid holiday leave were not asked if they were employed as a casual. As a result of this change there has been a break in series. Users therefore need to exercise care when comparing the number of people who considered their job to be casual in this issue with previous releases. For more information see paragraph 25 of the Explanatory Notes.
In 2007, all employees (excluding OMIEs) were asked whether they had leave entitlements, that is, whether they were entitled to paid holiday leave, paid sick leave, long service leave and/or paid maternity/paternity leave. In previous years, all employees, including owner managers of incorporated enterprises, were asked whether they had leave entitlements.
The data items 'Number of leave benefits', 'Type of leave benefit' and 'Whether self-identified as casual employee', which were included in the 2006 publication, have been renamed as follows: 'Number of leave entitlements', 'Type of leave entitlement' and 'Whether considered job to be casual' respectively.
ROUNDING
As estimates have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.
INQUIRIES
For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Labour Market Section on Canberra (02) 6252 7206.
Quality Declaration 
Print Page
Print All