#10 December 2005 - Melbourne Institute News

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Melbourne Institute News December 2005 ISSN 1442-9500 (print)

ISSN 1442-9519 (online)

Print Post Approved PP381667/01204

Issue 10

Consumer Culture = Longer Working Hours Our consumer culture is forcing Australians to work longer hours in order to manage their debts and sustain high levels of consumption, according to a recent study by the Melbourne Institute. Underemployed Are Suffering A new report by Dr Roger Wilkins shows that over one in three Australians who work part-time are underemployed. Page 2

The HILDA Survey Research Conference 2005 Read some highlights from the HILDA Survey Research Conference 2005. Page 3

Public–Private Partnerships An extract from the Melbourne Institute’s Australian Economic Review gives us an insight into the state of Australia’s infrastructure. Page 4

Opinion by John Freebairn Our Director, Professor John Freebairn, gives his opinion on the taxation of petroleum products and motor vehicles. Page 6

2005 University Rankings The Melbourne Institute has released its International Standing of Australian Universities Survey results. Page 7

Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, the paper shows that not only is there a significant proportion (22 per cent) of employed Australians working long hours—defined as regularly working 50 or more hours each week—but that for more than half of these people, it is a persistent phenomenon. People working longer hours are generally ‘ideal workers’— managers and professionals with high levels of education, promotion opportunities, and flexible work hour arrangements. Workers driving the positive association between professional occupations and persistently long hours include teachers, academics, lawyers, broadcasters, actors, journalists and pilots. Long hours were also associated with several non-managerial and non-professional occupations, including road and rail transport drivers, suggesting long hours are not always connected to the ‘ideal worker’ norm. ‘It is startling how many employees are working such long hours year after year just to help pay off their debts’, said Professor Mark Wooden, Deputy Director of the Melbourne Institute and one of the study’s authors. Entitled ‘The Persistence of Long Work Hours’, the paper also found that while fathers typically work long hours, there is actually no significant correlation between this and the age of their children. This was contrary to previous findings. The paper, authored by Professor Robert Drago, Mr David Black and Professor Mark Wooden, is available online at www.melbourneinstitute.com.

www.melbourneinstitute.com Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research - Page 1


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