Background
The Australian workforce is in a state of change. As the birth rate is declining and people are living longer, the Australian population is ageing. The traditional family model with one parent working full-time and the other parent staying at home full-time is now less widespread, with an increasing number of single parent families and dual income families. Jobs and work practices are different with an explosion of casual, part-time and shift work. For many people work has become more intensive and working hours have lengthened. Employers are also facing difficulties, as there are significant skills shortages across a wide range of industries and occupations.
Balancing work, family and lifestyle has become an important issue for more Australian families, business and government. The number of people who combine work and family responsibilities has increased over the past two decades, especially as more women are participating in the labour force. As the population is ageing it is likely that even more employees will be combining work with caring responsibilities.
Employees’ longer working hours also put more pressure on families. Evidence suggests that long work hours create negative consequences for individuals and their families. People working longer hours are more likely to experience stress and conflict between work and family responsibilities, and often have poorer coping mechanisms to deal with these issues.
The frequency in which organisations have expressed concerns about skills shortages across a range of occupations suggests that the labour market has become tighter, resulting in difficulties for employers to attract and retain staff. Skills shortages make it equally as important for employers to make their organisation appealing to the jobseeker as it is for the contender to impress potential employers.
Work-life balance policies help people meet the needs of their work life and their personal life, are becoming progressively more important as they:
- increase people’s ability to participate in the labour force and be productive, while taking care of family and personal needs
- are vital in creating an attractive image for business which appeals to prospective employees and helps in retaining employees over long periods of time
Please contact the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations' Work and Family unit on 07 32341810 if you require information regarding research material.
Last updated 2 October 2008
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