This report presents findings, mainly from the 2012 Survey of Working Life, on non-standard employment, job security, and job flexibility in New Zealand’s labour market.
The survey is a rich source of information on the employment conditions, working arrangements, and job quality of employed New Zealanders. Topics it covers include the different forms of temporary work, length of job tenure, employees’ perceptions of job security, and flexible working arrangements.
This report examines this information and provides a picture of the diverse nature of New Zealanders’ jobs, and the degree of flexibility and insecurity they experience in their working lives. It aims to contribute to our knowledge about the changing nature of work in New Zealand and to inform debate and policy development related to flexible and insecure employment.
Key Results
Key findings in the report are:
• A third of employed New Zealanders could be described as non-standard workers in that they were either self-employed, temporary employees, or part-time workers.
• Just under 1 in 10 employees were in temporary jobs, with almost half of these being casual workers.
• Around half of those working in temporary jobs were doing so because of employment or industry conditions, and a similar proportion said they would prefer an ongoing or permanent job.
• Almost half of all employed people had been working for the same employer or in the same business for five years or more, while fewer than 1 in 5 had been in their jobs for less than a year.
• Most permanent employees felt reasonably secure in their jobs, with 8 in 10 saying there was almost no chance, or only a low chance, of losing their jobs in the next 12 months.
• Almost half of all employees said that they had flexible hours at least sometimes, meaning they could start and finish work at different times if they wanted to.
• Six in 10 temporary employees experienced changeable hours from week to week to suit their employers’ needs, and fewer than 3 in 10 always had advance notice of their work schedule.
• Almost a third of employed people spent some time working from home over a four-week period, but for most employees it was a relatively small number of hours.