This Occasional Paper details the results and method of case study research, undertaken by the Labour Market Policy Group (LMPG) and the Centre for Research on Work, Education and Business (WEB Research), into the effects of employment regulation upon employment in the Accommodation, Winemaking and Brewing Industries. The research sought to answer three questions:
- how did the industries and enterprises studied utilise their human resources to meet the needs of production;
- what influenced the choices of employers and employees in the employment relationship;
- and, what part does the regulatory framework play in those choices?
To do that data was gathered at an industry and enterprise level, with the centre of the research being interviews with a cross-section of staff and management in 21 enterprises. The study found that employment relationships were adaptable and flexible. Small employers were often relatively unaffected directly by
regulation, while medium and large employers went to some lengths to follow many requirements. Actual compliance was variable, and sometimes employers avoided regulation through the structure of their employment relationships. Employees who were not union members often depended on their employer for information and compliance.