Labour Market Transitions and Dynamics in Australia: An Analysis of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey(ARC Discovery project)

This major program of research is focused on understanding:

• the factors that influence and shape economic participation, and especially labour force participation;
• the consequences of different labour outcomes for individuals Australians and their families; and
• the implications for public policy.

The focus of the research will be on key transitions in the lives of Australians, and in particular on transitions between welfare and work, between unpaid work and paid work, between different types of employment, and between paid work and retirement.

Research questions include:

• Why is it that so many Australians rely heavily on income support, and what factors prevent or discourage them from more active labour force participation?
• How successful are exits out of welfare (e.g., are such exits typically characterised by low-wage employment followed by a return to unemployment and welfare dependency)?
• What are the longer run consequences of non-standard employment arrangements?
• How do working time patterns evolve over time and what are the consequences of persistence in mismatch between actual hours and preferred hours?
• What factors influence decisions about when and how to retire, and what are the impacts on income and well-being of different retirement paths?

At the heart of the research program will be the longitudinal data collected in the HILDA Survey over the period 2001 to 2008. Funding for this project runs from 2006 to 2008.

Projects

• Welfare Transitions and Welfare Reliance
• Effects of Disability on Wages and Participation Rates
• Working Time
• Job Security