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On the 3rd June 2010, the Minimum Wage Panel of Fair Work Australia (FWA) increased minimum award rates by $26 per week (or by 4.8 per cent). This increase was [...]

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2009.00717.x Byline: Robert Drago (1), Mark Wooden (2), David Black (2) Abstract: Abstract Using panel survey data from Australia, we divide long hours workers (persons reporting usually working 50 or more hours per week) into groups of 'volunteers', who prefer long hours, and 'conscripts', who do not. We study both the static and dynamic prevalence of the phenomenon. Norms surrounding ideal workers and consumerism play major roles in explaining conscript status, with bargaining power less important. The self-employed often appear as volunteers or conscripts, while gender, rather than motherhood, is a strong predictor of shorter work hours. Both the demand and supply sides of the labour market play a role in explaining the prevalence of long hours conscripts. Author Affiliation: (1)Pennsylvania State University (2)University of Melbourne Article History: Final version accepted on 17 December 2008.

Using panel data for 2001-2005 from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, the authors examine workers' desires for, and achievement of, work hour flexibility. They estimate a dynamic model that controls for preferences in previous years and tests for the effects of life events on both desired employment and desired work hours. Many life events, such as motherhood and retirement, are found to have predictable effects. Parallel regressions are estimated for actual employment and the number of hours usually worked, and the results are compared to those for preferences. The dynamics of usual hours often mirror those for preferences, suggesting that labor markets function effectively for many employees. However, mismatches are associated with three life events: motherhood, widowhood for men, and job loss. The results also suggest that many men and women would extend employment under phased retirement programs, although only for a brief period.

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2008.00705.x Byline: Mark Wooden (1), Diana Warren (1), Robert Drago (2) Abstract: Abstract This study uses nationally representative panel survey data for Australia to identify the role played by mismatches between hours actually worked and working time preferences in contributing to reported levels of job and life satisfaction. Three main conclusions emerge. First, it is not the number of hours worked that matters for subjective well-being, but working time mismatch. Second, overemployment is a more serious problem than is underemployment. Third, while the magnitude of the impact of overemployment may seem small in absolute terms, relative to other variables, such as disability, the effect is quite large. Author Affiliation: (1)University of Melbourne (2)Pennsylvania State University Article History: Final version accepted on 22 September 2008.

Industrial relations in Australia in 1997 have been consistent, in general, with the decentralist nature of industrial relations reform over the most recent decade. The pace of reform, however, during the year was not as fast as many might have hoped for or perhaps feared. Key industrial relations developments, especially the effect of Workplace Relations Act 1996, are of interest. The Act has helped to promote an environment in which more opportunities exist for direct relationships between employees and employers, but it also reinforces interest in regulating and monitoring what goes on in the labor market.

A survey conducted in 1996 of recruitment practices in Australian firms showed that recruitment practices for nonprofessional workers in the private sector were very different from those of the public employment service provider. AGB McNair surveyed the recruitment practices. Newspaper advertisements were the most popular and most successful recruitment method, probably because they generate a large number of applicants.

Existing research evidence generally leads to the conclusion that females are disadvantaged in terms of access to job-related training. This paper reconsiders the evidence for Australia using data collected as part of the 1993 Survey of Training and Education. The findings indicate that, while men could be expected to receive more training as a result of their labour market endowments, this is more than compensated for by a gender effect in favour of women. Comparison with results from an analysis of similar data for 1989 suggests a marked change in the pattern of training in favour of women., Analysis of data from the 1993 Australian Survey of Training and Education reveals that Australian women workers receive favourable treatment concerning employee training. The findings show an overall improvement in the position of training for women since a similar analysis of data conducted in 1989. Labour market characteristics indicate that men should receive more training, but results suggest that either employers are exercising positive discrimination in favour of training for women, or women are showing a greater preference for training than men.

A study of training in Australia based on the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey, carried out from 1989 to 1990, has found that labor unions appear to have a positive net effect on training. This is true in companies where they are active in the work force rather than simply representing the work force with little involvement. Training is undertaken more often where workers are young and stay with the company for a relatively long time. This applies to both external and in-house training programs.

I. INTRODUCTION In a recent article, Machin and Wadhwani (1991; hereafter M&W) provide evidence which they argue indicates that labour unions can encourage investment. Specifically, using data from the 1984 [...]