Workers in South East NSW have had their lives put on hold due to insecure work, uncertainty over hours and lower pay.
Nearly one in four workers in South Eastern NSW (including Queanbeyan) are in casual work, a higher rate than the national average. This shocking fact has been revealed in the latest ACTU report, Spotlight on Job Insecurity: South Easter New South Wales.
South Eastern NSW has higher rates of casualisation than the Australian average
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Almost one in four workers in South Eastern NSW are casual.
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Younger workers and women workers are most likely to be insecurely employed as casuals.
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Casual work means no guarantee of hours, no sick leave or annual leave, and no job security.
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In South Easter NSW, the Australian Public Service is a major employer, but has increase casual and fixed-term jobs by 49.9% since 2013, reducing job security for thousands of workers.
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The Snowy Mountains Scheme is a significant national project, but the majority of workers are employed insecurely via labour hire arrangements
Casual work means there’s no guarantee of hours, no sick leave or annual leave and no job security. It is younger workers and women that are most likely to find themselves in casual work.
The three biggest employing industries in South Eastern NSW are public administration and safety, arts and recreation services, and construction which employ more than a third of workers (34.9%). They all have high rates of casual work, as well as growing trends of outsourcing and use of labour hire companies which drive down pay and conditions and hurt the local communities of the region.
Ensuring that workers have secure jobs is vital for the economic recovery from the pandemic in South Eastern NSW and the Capital Region.
The Federal Government has recently made this situation worse for South Eastern New South Wales. It passed laws earlier in 2021 that give employers far more power to define who is a casual employee. The courts are now limited to looking at the initial offer and acceptance of employment, rather than the practical reality of a working relationship. This is an added incentive for employers to give their staff the insecurity and low pay of casual work, even if they are working regular hours like a permanent employee.
Workers lacking job security and decent pay face barriers to getting tested, isolating or getting vaccination especially if they are under serious financial stress and lack job security, which makes the region more vulnerable to future outbreaks of COVID.
You can download the full report Spotlight on Job Insecurity: South Eastern NSW by clicking below.
NSW workers deserve secure work they can count on. We all do.
That’s why Australian Unions are campaigning for the Government to restore rights and job security for all workers – before it’s too late.
Support our campaign to restore job security
Australian workers used to have secure jobs with secure pay. Join us and together we can restore job stability for all.
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Spotlight on Job Insecurity: South Eastern NSW