Labour Market Transitions and Risks of Exclusion

By Stephen Ziguras

An examination of the transitions between full-time work, three categories of part-time work, unemployment, unpaid caring and retirement, and "not in the labour force but not studying or caring".

The results show that about 20% of the adult population each year makes a transition into, out of, or within employment, combined with other activities such as studying or caring. However some groups have greater risks of exclusionary transitions. These include workers who were retrenched within the last decade, those with less than year 12 education, people with long term health problems, migrants with poor English, parents with children under 5 years of age (especially sole parents), women and indigenous people. Policy directions consistent with a TLM approach for excluded groups include: a youth guarantee, retraining for workers and linked employment and training programs for the longer-term unemployed.

(Australian Bulletin of Labour; vol. 32, no. 3, 2006)