Annual Wage Review 2016–17
[2016] FWC 4786
•15 JULY 2016
| [2016] FWC 4786 |
| FAIR WORK COMMISSION |
STATEMENT |
Fair Work Act 2009
s.285—Annual wage reviews to be conducted
Annual Wage Review 2016–17
(C2017/1)
JUSTICE ROSS, PRESIDENT | MELBOURNE, 15 JULY 2016 |
DRAFT RESEARCH PROGRAM
[1] The Annual Wage Review 2015–16 (2015–16 Review) decision stated that the Commission intended:
“… to give consideration to the research program for the 2016–17 Review as soon as practicable. We note that the remaining projects from the medium-term research program are on the youth labour market and the characteristics of the under-employed and unemployed. This research may be further scoped as part of the usual practice of consultation by Commission staff with the Minimum Wages Research Group after the completion of this Review.” 1
[2] In regards to the proposal of future research, the 2015–16 Review decision stated that:
“As the medium-term research program nears completion, we invite interested parties to lodge research proposals by 31 July 2016. However, we note that the Commission’s capacity to undertake additional commissioned or other research is more limited than in previous years and parties are encouraged to take these constraints into account in their proposals.” 2
[3] The commitment of resources to these projects means that while there is limited capacity for the Commission to undertake additional research for the upcoming review, proposals for research may be considered in the context of future reviews.
[4] The attached draft research program for the 2016–17 Review, which includes a description of the Statistical report and Research reference list, has been prepared for comment.
[5] Submissions to the Commission regarding the research program as well as future research proposals should be made by close of business on 31 July 2016 and can be filed electronically at [email protected].
[6] All submissions will be posted to the Commission’s website.
PRESIDENT |
| FAIR WORK COMMISSION |
Attachment A |
The following items will be published to inform the Annual Wage Review 2016–17 (2016–17 Review).
Statistical report
This will follow the format of previous Statistical reports, with the inclusion of some relevant data based on information presented in the Annual Wage Review 2015–16 decision.
Research reference list
The Research reference list, undertaken by staff of the Commission, will be published at the same time as the Statistical report and will list Australian and international literature, such as working papers, journal articles or other types of published reports, relevant to the minimum wages and modern awards objectives. The report will only encompass relevant literature published over the year to March 2017.
Research reports
A number of research reports are currently underway to inform the 2016–17 Review. These include research foreshadowed in the medium-term research program. A paper summarising all of the research undertaken for the 2016–17 Review will also be published. An outline of these projects is provided below.
Explaining recent trends in collective bargaining
This project will involve an analysis of the recent trends in employees covered by enterprise agreements, focusing on factors such as sectoral shifts. The project will be undertaken in two stages, with the first part published for the 2016–17 Review and the second stage, incorporating data from the Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours confidentialised unit record file for 2016, to be published later in 2017.
The youth labour market
An analysis of the characteristics of the youth labour market, including comparisons over time, would be performed for this project. Characteristics would include employment type, hours worked, educational attainment, and industry and occupation of those employed. Differences in unemployment and underemployment between youth who are and who are not full-time students would also be explored. Analysis would be performed using various Australian data sources. A literature review on youth unemployment will be included.
Award-reliant workers in the household income distribution
This project will analyse data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to examine award-reliant workers across the household income distribution. The research will focus on where award-reliant workers are positioned in the household income distribution and the characteristics of award-reliant workers across the household income distribution.
Factors affecting apprenticeships and traineeships
This project will discuss factors that can affect people commencing and completing apprenticeships and traineeships. The discussion will examine both supply-side and demand-side factors and how they have changed over time.
Future research
The characteristics of the underemployed and unemployed
This project would track the changes over time in the extent of underemployment for those who are employed part-time, and its relation with unemployment. It would compare and analyse the characteristics of persons who are underemployed with persons unemployed, including over time. The characteristics that would be considered include gender, age, student status, location, industry and occupation. For underemployed workers, the characteristics for analysis would also include method of setting pay, hours worked and work schedules. It would seek information on the duration of underemployment and mobility to alternative employment states.
1 [2016] FWCFB 3500 at para. 667.
2 [2016] FWCFB 3500 at para. 668.
Printed by authority of the Commonwealth Government Printer
<Price code A, PR582875>