The information contained in this chapter presents a picture of the labour market in Australia. Unlike other statistics that have a particular economic or social focus, labour statistics cut across both dimensions, and in so doing they provide useful insights into economic and community life in Australia.
This chapter provides a broad overview of the Australian labour market. It briefly describes key labour statistics concepts and measures (e.g. employment, unemployment, job vacancies, earnings, industrial disputes); highlights the main features of the Australian labour market in 2003-04; examines developments in the Australian labour market over the medium- and long-term; and presents more detailed analysis of a number of issues impacting on the Australian labour market.
The chapter contains five articles: Labour force experience; Working arrangements; Young people in employment; Mature age workers; and Labour costs. It concludes with an article History of the monthly Labour Force Survey, which outlines the history of this major household survey. The survey has provided the basis on which the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has built an extensive program of labour and social surveys of the population.
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