Vol. 37 No. 2 2011

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https://hdl.handle.net/2328/25873

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Methodology and Research on the Human Resource Practices of Multinational Enterprises in Australia
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2011) McDonnell, Anthony ; Russell, Helen ; Sablok, Gitika ; Stanton, Pauline ; Burgess, John ; Bartram, Timothy
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    The Difficulty of Quantitative Cross-country Comparisons of Wage-fixing Systems
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2011) Isaac, J
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    Upskilling and Polarisation in the Australian Labour Market: A Simple Analysis
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2011) Esposto, A.
    National and international studies have shown consistent upskilling trends in the labour market. While this claim is true at aggregate levels, when employment growth and total hours worked are disaggregated into permanent and casual full-time and part-time employment for men and women, upskilling trends are inconsistent. The analysis shows that permanent male and female full-time employment exhibited clear signs of upskilling both in terms of employment growth and hours worked but this was not the case in casual full-time work for men and women. Part-time casual and permanent work showed clear signs of polarisation and downskilling for men and women. These polarisation trends suggest that workers who do not possess high-level skills will face increasing levels of difficulty and uncertainty in the labour market, with an adverse impact on both household and individual inequality.
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    Oh Won't You Stay Just a Little Bit Longer: Changing Employers' Views of Older Workers
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2011) Mountford, H.
    The effects of the 2009 economic downturn in Australia, followed by a comparatively rapid recovery, have seen a surprising growth in the number of older workers in employment. If this increase in older workers is the harbinger of permanent change in the labour market, it can only come about if employers modify their traditionally negative attitude towards mature employees. In the first comprehensive overview of the literature and case studies, this paper explores employers' attitudes towards older workers and finds that most of the stereotypical myths are readily overcome in the current labour market. If a labour shortage drives employers to offer more flexible working conditions as first seen in the Global Financial Crisis, they will be taken up by the largest working cohort - the baby boomers - and the problem could be largely averted.
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    Quality and Quantity in Work-Home Conflict: The Nature and Direction of Effects of Work on Employees' Personal Relationships and Partners
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2011) Peetz, D ; Muurlink, O ; Townsend, K ; Allan, C ; Fox, A
    Modern working patterns can directly and adversely affect family lives and personal relationships. Using quasi-longitudinal survey data from Queensland, this study confirms qualitative evidence that long hours of work, weekend work, irregular starting times, and high-pressure, long-hours cultures contribute to deteriorating home relationships and to dissatisfaction among partners. This study uniquely contrasts the quality impacts of work with the consequences of work quantity, indicating that the former is much more influential in modulating work-life conflict and satisfaction variables. Claims that long and increased working hours reflect the use of work as a refuge from home are shown to be unfounded.