For First Time, Less than Half of Workers Have a ‘Standard Job’

For the first time on record, less than half of employed Australians hold a ‘standard job’: a permanent full-time paid job with leave entitlements. Key findings: All 11 statistical indicators of employment insecurity (including part-time work, underemployment, casual jobs, and marginal self-emplo...

For the first time on record, less than half of employed Australians hold a ‘standard job’: a permanent full-time paid job with leave entitlements.

Key findings:

  • All 11 statistical indicators of employment insecurity (including part-time work, underemployment, casual jobs, and marginal self-employment) have declined since 2012
  • Wages for casual workers have declined in real terms; part-time workers in marginal self-employment have seen real wages fall 26% in the last five years
  • Many young people are giving up hope of finding a permanent full-time job

“Australians are rightly worried about the growing insecurity of work,” said Dr. Jim Stanford, Director of the Centre for Future Work.


Related research

The Dimensions of Insecure Work: A Factbook

Full report