The Australian workforce has experienced many structural improvements over the last decade, which has contributed to the growth in job creation and productivity. In the last two years, employment has grown by more than 2% per annum. Over the last decade, Australia’s strong economic performance has resulted in significant economic growth, low inflation, low unemployment and low interest rates. The Australian economy is open and competitive, aided by a dynamic private sector and a skilled workforce.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate has remained steady at just 4.4% and has remained low despite the changing global economic climate in year 2009. One quarter of the workforce was made up of migrants living and working in Australia. About 36.5% of Australians now work in professional, technical, managerial or administrative jobs. In 2002, Australia was ranked 11th in the world for overall productivity, as measured by GDP per person employed.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Australian working conditions are often considered some of the best in the world. Contributing to these high standards is the fact that Australian industrial relations are characterized by high union membership numbers and a federally driven, but state controlled, mandatory arbitration and conciliation system.
In Australia, there is now only one major central union association, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). “Awards” are the legal decisions made by independent industrial organizations and they specify the minimum standards of pay and working conditions that an employer must meet or otherwise face legal penalties.
According to the Bureau of Statistics, full-time earnings of workers living in Australia averaged $57,387 AUD per annum in 2007.
| AVERAGE WAGE BY STATE / TERRITORY | |
| STATE / TERRITORY | AVERAGE WAGE (Australian Dollars) |
| Tasmania | $52,432 |
| Queensland | $53,732 |
| South Australia | $53,383 |
| Victoria | $56,820 |
| Northern Territory | $54,735 |
| Western Australia | $61,662 |
| New South Wales | $59,410 |
| Capital Territory | $66,950 |
Australia’s best-paid workers are miners, whose ordinary earnings average AU$92,014 per annum. Australian wages are expected to continue rising faster than in most other western economies.
Australian working conditions are regulated by legislation and industrial awards. The average Australian working week is 37 hours, Monday to Friday; however this will vary according to your employer, your position and the type of industry in which you’re employed. A standard working day (without overtime) for a blue-collar worker is from 7 or 8am to 3.30 or 4.30pm, while working hours in most offices and shops are from 8.30 or 9.30am until 4.30 or 5.30pm, with an hour break. Hours worked above the standard working week are paid at overtime rates of either time-and-a-half or double-time, depending on the award for that profession.
Certain employees, particularly in the public sector, operate on a flexi-time system. This allows them to work a set number of hours in a four week period but within that framework it is mainly up to them as to how they make up the hours. There is usually about four hours a day (core time) during which the employee must be at their work station, other than that they are free to come and go at times which best suit them.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average age at retirement for recent retirees (those who retired in the last five years) was 60 years. Of this group, the difference between the retirement age of men and women was relatively small, with women retiring approximately three years younger than men (the average retirement age for men was 61.5 years and 58.3 years for women).
Many Australian employers have readily employed immigrant workers, especially in times of labor shortages. Migrants with the best prospects for finding employment in the Australian labor market include those with strong proficiency in the English language, recognize post-secondary qualifications and high skill levels.
PROFESSIONAL AND TRADE REGULATION
Australian legislation covering the recognition of professional and trade qualifications varies according to where you live within Australia. Australia has a federal system of government and is divided into six States and two Territories. In some professions and trades you are required to be registered with a relevant Registration Board in your State/Territory to practice in your occupation.
Subject to conditions, if a person is registered to practice an occupation in one Australian State or Territory they can carry out an equivalent occupation in any other Australian State or Territory after obtaining registration with the relevant Registration Board.
People who already hold registration or are licensed to practice a professional or trade occupation in New Zealand are permitted to practise the equivalent occupation in any Australian State or Territory where registration is a requirement after gaining registration with the relevant Registration Board. The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA) covers all registrable occupations, except medicine.
Every occupation or group of occupations has its own individual pathway to recognition as a professional or tradesperson in Australia. The level of regulation in place largely determines the process. Based on this principle, occupations can be divided into three categories – those regulated by law, self-regulating and unregulated.
The group of professions regulated by law include related health professions, veterinary science and architecture. An applicant’s eligibility to practice in these professions is determined by set assessment requirements, often in the form of an examination, which applicants must successfully meet to qualify for registration by State and Territory Registration Boards. In some instances, applicants may be required to undertake a period of practical experience as part of the assessment and recognition process.
For self-regulating and unregulated professions, competency based assessments and/or assessments based on qualifications may apply. In some professions, for instance accountancy and law, additional country-specific training in Australia is usually required as a precondition to employment.