Week 2 - Work, Employment & The Labour Market

Question 1

What are the global trends and external drivers of change for the labour market and work?

Answer 1

1. Increasing computing power
2. Network growth
3. Resource scarcity
4. Demographic shifts
5. Globalisation
6. Diversifying social values

Question 2

How does business respond to environmental changes?

Answer 2

1. New business models (different ownership patterns; commodification of labour, social business models, service industries)
2. Customer expectations
3. Flexible work options (however only available as a request to certain types of employees, numerical flexibility vs wages flexibility, functional flexibility being core and periphery workforce)
4. Meaningful and decent work
5. Life integration

Question 3

What is the history of ER until 2009?

Answer 3

Pre 1983 - centralised focus, disputes settled by court/commission, awards, national wage cases
1983 - National focus, floating dollar, deregulation of financial services industry, tax reforms, centralised wage fixing, superannuation
1986 to 1988 - industry focus, award restructuring based on industries, amalgamation of unions into industry groups, conciliation and arbitration but started emphasis on settling disputes at enterprise level
1991 to 1993 - Enterprise focus, 1991 Enterprise Bargaining, 1993 IR reform act, Facilitated enterprise bargaining, reduced power of AIRC, unionism not compulsory
1997 to 2009 - Workplace focus, 1996 WRA Wages and conditions set by agreement in the enterprise, AIRC less role, more focus on bargaining and not arbitration, no compulsory unionism, unfair dismissal provisions, national wage case for low paid workers, 2006 workchoices, fair pay commission removes AIRC role in minimum wages, focus on employer and employee determining workplace arrangements.

Question 4

Summarise work, employment and the labour market

Answer 4

• The context and nature of work is always changing due to a number of factors, internal and external to the organisation.
• ER changes over time as well. Together the nature for work and employment is changes the labour market
• flexibility is an essential part of the modern workforce
• important to also look at changes elsewhere in the world