4. Individuals and Work

Question 1

What is the acronym for the reasons people work?

Answer 1

VET

V - Value and Status

E - Economic

T - To meet specific needs

Question 2

Describe the acronym used to outline the reasons why people work.

Answer 2

To meet specific needs (SHESEA)

• Safety and security - Some forms of employment provide financial security through contracts.
• Health - The type of work you do may affect your mental/emotional, physical and social wellbeing.
• Education - Education will determine the type of employment you have and the income you may be receiving.
• Sense of identity - Depending on the work you do. For example, volunteering increases your self-esteem, self-worth and confidence.
• Employment - Different patterns of work. For example, full time/part-time.
• Adequate standard of living - Regular income to assist with paying for food/water, clothing and shelter.

Economic

• Monetary rewards are given for labour, either through direct or indirect payments. Direct payments for work are usually in the form of a wage; while Indirect payments are non-monetary payments in return for a service, such as a company car. Both direct and indirect payments enable workers to create a lifestyle and satisfy needs and wants.

Value and Status

• Individuals may value work for the satisfaction and self-esteem they gain from it and/or the lifestyle they are able to create.
• The industry in which an individual works – occupations with integrity, such as firefighter or schoolteacher, will give an individual status.

Question 3

Compare and contrast the needs that are met through paid and unpaid work.

Answer 3

Safety and security

• Paid work - Paid work gives employee safety and security through regular income.
• Unpaid work - Volunteer work is generally safe (selling raffle tickets, teaching adult education), but some do come with risk e.g volunteer firefighting.

Health

• Paid work - Paid work generally compensate workers if they get injured or sick whilst working or on their way too or from work.
• Unpaid work - Unpaid work is generally safe however it is rare that an organisation will compensate for any injuries occurred on the job.

Education

• Paid work - Paid work will generally require some form of education e.g degree, diploma, certificate.
• Unpaid work - Unpaid work such as volunteering at an animal shelter may provide a day course to educate participants on what to expect and how to handle certain situations.

Sense of Identity

• Paid work - Paid work may provide an individual with a sense of identity if they are helping others or feel connected to their line of work.
• Unpaid work - Volunteering work will provide those participating with a sense of identity as they are helping others.

Employment

• Paid work - Paid work will require an individual to work certain hours including part-time or full-time.
• Unpaid work - Volunteer work may require individuals to work different hours compared to paid work. For example, night patrol.

Adequate standard of living

• Paid work - Paid employment can improve one’s standard of living through income. Generally the higher the income the more improved standard of living.
• Unpaid work - Unpaid work will generally not provide a way to improve one’s standard of living as there is no monetary gain.

Question 4

Define the term labour force.

Answer 4

The labour force can be defined as that section of the population 15 years of age and above who are either working or actively seeking work. The workforce can be divided into two categories, the employed and the unemployed.

Question 5

Define the term employment and provide a statistic.

Answer 5

A person is defined as being employed if they have one or more hours of work per week.

• Differences in male and female employment in occupations continue to be apparent. Almost all jobs worked by machinery operators and drivers were held by males (89.6%), while most clerical and administrative jobs were held by females (76.5%).

Question 6

Define the term unemployed and provide a statistic.

Answer 6

A person is defined as unemployed if they are currently available for work, are actively seeking work, and are unable to find it.

• The unemployment rate is predicted to reach 10% by the end of the year amid COVID. There is a current increasing trend.

Question 7

Define the term employed part-time and provide a statistic.

Answer 7

Those working fewer than 35 hours per working week.

• The reductions in hours worked were greater for women than for men, with female hours reducing by 11.5%, compared to a 7.5% reduction in male hours worked per month.

Question 8

Define the term employed full-time and provide a statistic.

Answer 8

Those working 35 hours or more per working week.

• Full-time employment decreased 220,500 to 8,656,900 people and part-time employment decreased 373,800 to 3,761,800 people.

Question 9

Define the term participation rate and provide a statistic.

Answer 9

The labour force expressed as a percentage of the entire population.

• Australia’s Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 66.2 % in Mar 2020 amid worsening COVID-19 restrictions.

Question 10

What is labour force participation across the life span?

Answer 10

Life events could influence labour force participation rates (E.g. becoming a parent). These events may impact on the labour force participation, determining whether a person works full time, part-time or is unemployed.

Question 11

Name 3 events in which people would be taken out of the labour force.

Answer 11

Events in which people would be taken out of the labour force include:

• studying/attending school
• travel
• starting family.

Question 12

Name the patterns of work.

Answer 12

• Full time
• Part-time
• Job share
• Casual
• Permanent
• Temporary/contract
• self-employed
• shift work
• voluntary
• seasonal
• working remotely

Question 13

Define full-time work.

Answer 13

Employment based on working 35 hours or more per week. These employees receive entitlements such as paid annual leave, paid sick leave, and parental leave etc.

Question 14

Define part time work.

Answer 14

Employment based on working a regular number of hours but less than 35 hours each week. A worker in this type of employment usually receives all, or most, of the benefits of a full-time employee but on a proportional basis.

Question 15

Define job share work.

Answer 15

Employment based on two people voluntarily sharing the duties of one full-time position. Both workers are treated as permanent part-time employees and as such receive the same entitlements.

Question 16

Define casual work.

Answer 16

Employment which is based on an hourly or daily basis and where there is no guarantee of a full week’s work.

Question 17

Define permanent work.

Answer 17

Employment that is ongoing and stable, usually for a period of 12 months or more.

Question 18

Define temporary/contract work.

Answer 18

Employment based on working for a set period of time. These workers are usually self-employed and hire out their services in order to complete set tasks.

Question 19

Define self-employed work.

Answer 19

Employment where a person performs work for their own business or company.

Question 20

Define shift work.

Answer 20

Employment based on working a set/agreed number of hours over a 24 hour period.

Question 21

Define voluntary work.

Answer 21

Work performed for an organisation or group, where a person gives their time/skills and is not paid for their service.

Question 22

Define seasonal work.

Answer 22

Employment based on the demand for workers at certain times of the year.

Question 24

Define working remotely.

Answer 24

Employment based on the employee completing work from the home, without the need of going into the central workplace.

Question 25

What are the social factors leading to changing work patterns?

Answer 25

• Education/training
• Technology
• Employment/unemployment
• Perceptions of gender
• Family circumstances including structural change
• Government policy
• Economics

Question 26

Describe education/training as a social factor leading to a change in work patterns.

Answer 26

The number of people with post-school qualifications has increased. The trend of young people continuing to study full-time means they may need to access casual and part-time jobs that are flexible in nature for the duration of their study.

Question 27

Describe technology as a social factor leading to a change in work patterns.

Answer 27

Computers

• Computers have reduced the number of laborious jobs, created new jobs, allowed people to create businesses from home and enabled people to communicate with others who are thousands of kilometres away.

Automation/robots

• The technological advancement in robotics and automation has displaced both skilled and unskilled workers. However, an area in which robotics has brought about improved job satisfaction is the medical industry.

Research and development

• Industries – such as the textiles, science, automotive and medical industries – will always require people to take on projects to improve the lives of others. For example, cheaper fuel costs and research and development in aeronautical engineering has reduced the time and cost involved in travel.

LINK - Shift Work in some industries, such as media, banking and finance, will increase to compete with competition in the global market.

Question 28

Describe employment/unemployment as a social factor leading to a change in work patterns.

Answer 28

The casualisation of the workforce; this has reduced the number of full-time and permanent jobs available; the fact that casual and temporary/contract workers earn less and receive fewer benefits means that they are less able to satisfy their needs and those of their family.

Question 29

Describe the perceptions of gender as a social factor leading to a change in work patterns.

Answer 29

Traditionally, men and women entered the paid workforce at the age of 15. Men usually continued in the workforce until their eventual death and women continued to work until marriage.

LINK - Many women desire the flexibility to fit work around the demands of parenting and caring. After childbirth, women may desire the opportunity to access part-time, casual, job share and other flexible work options.

Question 30

Describe family circumstances, including structural change as a social factor leading to a change in work patterns.

Answer 30

As a family moves through stages in the life span, their circumstances may change. The changes could be:

• to lose or gain a family member, such as in death, birth, marriage, divorce or separation
• in the family’s socioeconomic status by forcing members to gain employment, such as to cope with a redundancy

LINK - Family-friendly work practices (such as part-time hours or job sharing) and flexibility (such as flexible start and finishing times) in some workplaces enable parents to adapt to the changes experienced by families.

Question 31

Describe government policy as a social factor leading to a change in work patterns.

Answer 31

Government policies include:

• The Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)
• The Industrial Relation Act 1996 (NSW)
• The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Cth)

LINK - Minority groups who were previously unable to gain employment, such as those with disabilities or with carer’s responsibilities, may be able to access flexible work patterns, such as part-time, casual, job share, working from home or working remotely.

Question 32

Describe economics as a social factor leading to a change in work patterns.

Answer 32

The economy affects work patterns during each phase of its cycle. To remain competitive in the global market, businesses have had to respond to globalisation and employ shift workers to communicate around the clock with overseas clients and competitors.