The Growth of Labour Hire Employment in Australia

This Productivity Commission staff working paper, The Growth of Labour Hire Employment in Australia, was released in February 2005. This staff working paper is part of an ongoing labour market research program at the Productivity Commission to examine developments in employment relationships and the implications of these developments for the labour force and the Australian economy. The series seeks to produce analysis to inform the policy debate by characterising how different forms of employment contribute to the Australian economy. This paper examines how the rapid growth of labour hire employment can be attributed to how firms manage their workforce, rather than to changes in the economy’s structure. For example changes in operating environments contributed to firms’ altering of their employment strategy in favour of labour hire workers through the changing industrial relations context and rising competitive pressures. The views expressed in this paper are those of the staff involved and do not necessarily reflect the those of the Productivity Commission.labour; labour hire; employment; industrial relations; labour hire growth;