An Economics Skills and Activities Workbook

Activity 4.2 - What are the characteristics of the labour force in Australia?

The size and composition of the labour or workforce changes over time. Changes in the size of the labour force are mainly due to changes in the participation rate and changes in the size and make-up of the civilian population aged 15 years and over.

Consider the following labour force statistics for Australia and answer the questions below.

Civilian population aged 15 and over, labour force status, December 2005^a

Figures in '000

MALES

Employed
Full-time	4781
Part-time	811
Unemployed
Looking for full-time work	227
Total unemployed	295
Labour force	5886
Not in the labour force	2204
Civilian population	8091

FEMALES

Employed
Full-time	2498
Part-time	2070
Unemployed
Looking for full-time work	151
Total unemployed	247
Labour force	4815
Not in the labour force	3528
Civilian population	8343

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Survey.

a. There may be some statistical rounding differences in the totals.

1. What was the total number of people who were in the labour force in December 2005?

2. What was the total number of people who were unemployed in December 2005?

3. What was the overall unemployment rate in December 2005?

4. What was the unemployment rate for men and women?

5. What percentage of the unemployed men was looking for full-time employment? What percentage was looking for part-time employment?

6. What percentage of the unemployed women was looking for full-time employment? What percentage was looking for part-time employment?

7. Suggest reasons for the differences in the rate of unemployment and pattern of job seeking between men and women.

8. What was the overall participation rate in December 2005?

9. What were the male and female participation rates?

10. Suggest reasons for the differences between the participation rates.

Trends in the Participation Rate

11. What trends have been occurring in the male and female participation rates since 1980?

12. Suggest some possible reasons for these trends.

13. What effect would the overall trend in the participation rate have on the size of the labour force and the unemployment rate?

Note: If you want to find the most up-to-date figures on employment and the participation rate, go to the Australian Bureau of Statistics website at http://www.abs.gov.au/ and look under statistics for the 'key national indicators'. This is a good source for most current statistics on the Australian economy.

If you want more of these exercises and the answers go to An Economics Skills and Activities Workbook

Go to Topic 5 Sample Activity.