contractors, whether they are fixed term, primary or sub-contractors. Employees
An employee works for a public or private employer and is paid:
An employee could also be a person who operates his or her own business, whether or not they hire employees.
Employers
An employer operates his or her own business, or works in a profession or trade, and hires one or more employees.
Self employed workers
A self employed worker operates a business, or works in a profession or trade, and hires no employees.
Contributing family workers
A contributing family worker works without pay in an enterprise operated by a relative.
Full-time workers
Full-time work means working 35 hours or more a week, in one or more jobs.
Part-time workers
With part-time work, a person usually works less than 35 hours a week.
Permanent or casual workers
The difference between ‘permanent’ and ‘casual’ work is in the paid leave entitlements an employee receives.
A permanent worker receives either paid holiday or paid sick leave—and can receive both. Casual workers have no entitlement to paid leave. This definition was introduced in late 2000 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. During the 1990s, some casual workers did receive paid leave.
Casual workers are often paid a ‘casual loading’ to compensate them for the lack of these entitlements.
Temporary workers
Temporary employees are hired for a limited period to fill a short-term need. The length of employment is established at the outset.
On call or standby employees agree to be available and contactable for work at any time during an agreed period—for example, over a weekend. Some of these arrangements include an allowance for being on call.
People who work flexible hours
With flexible hours, employees work a certain number of hours but vary the times when they:
They may also work extra hours in a certain period to allow them to take time off in another period.
Flexible working hours are often formalised in a set of workplace guidelines.
Shift workers
Some businesses have to keep functioning 24 hours a day—for example, mines, some factories, bank processing centres and hospitals. Shift work is work organised to keep such workplaces operating. Sometimes workers take turns at the less popular shifts (generally night shift). Sometimes different types of work are done on different shifts, so a worker is permanently employed on a particular shift.
People who job share
Job sharing involves dividing one full-time position into two or more part-time positions. For example, one employee might work three days a week and another work the other two.
Contractors
Under a contract arrangement, an organisation or individual provides a particular service, or undertakes a particular task, at an agreed price or rate, generally for a specified period.
Fixed term contractor
A fixed term contract specifies that employment will be terminated on a particular date or on completion of a specific task.
Primary contractor
A primary contractor is an individual or organisation engaged to complete a specific job within a fixed period, at a set price.
Sub-contractor
A sub-contractor is a person or a firm employed by a primary contractor to provide services or resources necessary for the performance of the primary contractor.