Casual Employment as a Positive Feature of the Contemporary Labor Market - Coursework Example

DO YOU AGREE THAT CASUAL EMPLOYMENT BEEN WRONGLY DEMONIS AND THAT CASUAL EMPLOYMENT IS ACTUALLY A POSITIVE FEATURE OF THE CONTEMPORARY LABOUR MARKET? By Students Name Course Professor University State Date Casual employment can refer to a situation where an employee is offered a job if need be and in a situation where there is no certain expectation of continuing with the job. The term Casualization is also loosely applied within the international literature referring to work conditions that includes aspects like irregular hours , insecurity employment low wages, intermittent employment, and absence of benefits that results from standard employment (Watson, 2013).In countries like Australia this term is slightly narrower , but with a solid meaning. This is because the existing labor markets have been branded with a prominent form of employment that has been labeled as casual. Therefore, casual in most literature is the process where a large number of people in particular workforce are employed in these types of job. The issue concerning whether an employee is on casual basis is a facet that is regularly contested on. This is because this nature of employment exists only during the working period where the involved parties holds no obligation to each other over such periods. This nature of employment also implies that an employee on casual employment terms cannot pursue grievances on a personal level in regard to unjustified dismissal during the period of work engagement. Another important aspect to take note of is the fact that casuals cannot join trade unions, therefore airing their grievances becomes a much more difficult thing to deal with. It has been noted that these employment terms or system is under abuse, for instance an employer may decide to classify an employee on casual terms as one way of minimizing obligation that they have to employees (Wooden, 2001). This implies that casual system is an escape gap that is used by employers to cut labor cost. At the same time the employers maximizes the employees’ obligation to work on regular basis. It is therefore, crucial to determine whether an employee can take up the description of casual. In the contemporary society employment aspects have changed. However, there are strong claims regarding the serious impacts that casual employment system is likely to have on the contemporary or future prospects in employment where up to now earnest research on these aspects has been relatively scant (Campbell, and Burgess, 2001a). It is widely recognized that one of the distinctive aspects of contemporary labor market, for instance in Australia is the increased incidences of casual employment. Research has shown that the number of employees who do not have qualification to either being paid debilitated leave or paid yearly that has been connected usually to help in measuring the casual employment incidence (Burgess, & Campbell, 1998b).There is also marked as growth over the past two decades where the rate of casual employment has been estimated to be low compared to the level it is today. Nevertheless in the recent years the rate and level of casual employment has showed clear decline in the late years. Among ladies the casual offer of occupation may currently be declining. In contrast that of men has been seen to take tan upward trend. The rate of small business in the contemporary society has also increased resulting into an increased number of owner managers as workers, which thus, has effects of simulated swelling in the development of casual occupation offer from the mid 1980's (Burgess, & Campbell, 1998a).The growth rate in the casual employment share, according to numerous commentators is regarded as the symptomatic feature of the labor standards gradual erosion as well as the growth in substandard jobs that are inferior. Nevertheless, one can accept the claim made that casual jobs have some inferiority in them in same way the non-casual jobs. Therefore, they ought to have the ability to severe as entry elements into the labor market for the jobless and for entrants and re entrants to the labor force. This would happen particularly if the occupation in casual occupations may be show to improve the prospects behind acquiring a more secure, non-casual or permanent job. Casual employment is a positive characteristic of the contemporary Labor market Many casual jobs are dead end and which marginalises employees and effectually impending their capability to shift to full time permanent jobs positions where there is more prevalence of internal career Labor markets. According to Pocock et al. (2004a) many casual employees other than just riding around between unemployment and short lived job terms have really stayed in the same employment for long stretches significantly over one year. This ascent the inquiry with respect to how diverse are the occupations held by these long haul casual laborers contrasted with those that are held up by permanent specialists in a comparative field. In this case Pocket is implies that it is self-evident that the casual jobs have inferiority by merit of their lowly rights and entitlements. Sloan on the other hand applied the data from the Australian Longitudinal Survey to conduct a survey in this area especially to identify the labour market destination (Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training [ACIRRT], 1999). After the survey the conclusions drawn were that, part time jobs or insecure jobs never offers a stepping stone to more occupations that are secure, however a deadlock to an employee. The presumption in such a case gives off an impression of being the joblessness hazard that is upgraded by permanent business other than other contributing qualities, for example, absence of occupation related aptitudes that can be connected with easygoing job. Through a survey conducted by Employment and Unemployment Patterns (SEUP) Dunlop (2001) it is clear from their report that a large number of employees in low paid jobs remained for a long time on or still stuck in the low procuring occupations or wind up being jobless. Despite of all these studies in this area, none of them address the counter factual issue. That is the situation that the casual workers would be in in case they were not employed. A counter factual study was conducted by Chalmers and Kalb (2001) with a particular interest on the effectual part of the casual employment in assisting those unemployed persons to get entry to well-paying secure percent jobs. Thus their study was restricted to persons who were employed for only one year. It was distinguished that for this sub populace or occupation seekers overall it is speedier to secure a lasting employment through a casual means. This implies that unemployed person who manages to secure a casual job may spend longer time without a permanent job, however, the alternative continued time without employment on the worse end. Discussion Casual employment is a fluid state that is in possession of characteristics with relative high mobility levels in and out of a group of individuals who have the likelihood of leaving their current unemployment state. This appears like a lilliputian statement, however, it incorporates crucial entailment if it is conceptualized from a casual employment point of view. In the case of a number individuals who are made casual employees implies that some among the group will remain as casual employees during the next period. That is casuals are not in one way considered as full employees of an organization. They are taken for granted and in most case lacks motivation in their work. In contrast in case they are not employed, implies that some, but a lesser number of them remain unemployed (Burgess, and Campbell, 1998).This employment notion exnate and predicts that easygoing livelihood is bad particularly when the tight center is on the non-casual structure or job following the fact that not all will advance others will remain in that state. It is clear that women who ignores the heterogeneity that is unobserved, while being in casual form of employment have an increased probability in remaining in non-casual employment today in comparison of becoming unemployed. In estimation a female who is unemployed has a probability of 24.6per cent of being non casual in a span of 1 year equivalence to 23.1 percent in men (Campbell. 1996a). The most important explanation that can be tabled in this discussion is that men have an increased likelihood to undergo suffering of being discriminated against by employers who have preference over a working individual over an individual who is not employed. That is women have less sufferings from unemployment cases than men. This then offers ascend to the elevating impact of casual vocation, outright to unemployment, in holding non-easygoing occupation that is watch for men. Analysis regarding issues of casual employment in line with the contemporary labor market. Most of the results of studies conducted under this area have been obtained from the parts of the world where casual employment is in existence (Watson, 2005). It is hard to prescribe what will go on in case the casual employment went on being prescribed. That is will all casual in any employment set up become permanent or will end up being center link queue. Due to the difficulty of answering this question there is increased doubt in regard to the phenomenons of casual occupation system ever coming to an deadlock. Casual as the price of progress Although casual jobs may be bad for the reasons that has already been identified in this paper there are suggestions that they constitute the progress price. These jobs are accessed with increased flexibility which in turn is presented as an economic success precondition. Flexibility is over used term, in this case it is a clear indication of diverse things employers than to employees. That is a more freedom for individual employers or increased prerogative in management (Chalmers, & Kalb, 2001). Nevertheless, far from being the progress price casual jobs as well as enhanced forms of prerogative management ought to be a barrier to the intended progress. In Australia there are two long run workforce issues which includes: an aging population and skills gap. A large number of Casual employees are out of formal training programs as well as career path development in association with skill accreditation. In addition, the casual labor force share is never compatible with filling up the skills shortages being experienced (Brooks, 1985). In the case of aging population there is need to increase the self-funded retirement necessities with an aim of avoiding the fiscal problem that is linked to aging. Another thing with casual work is that it is not linked or suitable for financial planning in the long run. It has been identified casuals have not been receiving employer-funded old-age pension payments and the little shares received by a number of others are probable to add up to a satisfactory amount. Conclusions The casual employment been wrongly demonised and that casual employment is actually a positive feature of the contemporary labour market. This statement is not purely true. As this paper has outlined it is clear that casual job is generally perceived as a bad form of employment system. People working under these employment terms are bared from various important benefits that their colleagues under other forms of employment enjoys. Moreover, among casuals job security is not granted and also the salary level is so low. The above statement assumes that for one to be working in better paying jobs in the contemporary lobar market casual job is the gateway. This has been proved wrong by numerous research surveys that have been conducted in this area. People working as casuals may remain in this state for more than five years. In addition, expecting to be promoted to better employment terms some are surprised to find themselves in none of the employment terms. That is they end up losing their job completely. Therefore, this makes quite clear that casual job is not necessarily the positive feature of the contemporary labour market are many other contributing factors that have not been identified due to the scant research that has so far been undertaken in this area. The casual system of employment needs to be revisited again and any necessary modification to the system is accepted such that casual labourers can feel motivated and have value for their work. Reference List Phillips, K, No date, ‘A casual discussion: Casual alternative wrongly demonised’, Institute of Public Affairs, Occasional Paper, IPA. Online https://www.ipa.org.au/publications/1294/a-casual-discussion-casual- alternative-wrongly-demonized Watson, I 2013, ‘Bridges or traps? Casualisation and labor market transitions in Australia’, Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 6-37. Watson, I 2005, ‘Contented workers in inferior jobs? Re-assessing casual employment in Australia’, Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 371-92. Wooden, M 2001, ‘Are non-standard jobs sub-standard jobs?’ Australian Social Monitor, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 65- 70. Burgess, J & Campbell, I 1998a, ‘Casual employment in Australia: Growth characteristics, a bridge or a trap?’, The Economic and Labour Relations Review, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 31–54. Burgess, J & Campbell, I 1998b, ‘The nature and dimensions of precarious employment in Australia’, Labour and Industry, 8, no. 3, pp. 5–22. Chalmers, J & Kalb, G 2001, ‘Moving from unemployment to permanent employment: Could a casual job accelerate the transition?’, The Australian Economic Review, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 415–436. Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training [ACIRRT] (1999), Australia at Work: Just Managing? Prentice Hall, Sydney. Brooks, A. (1985), ‘Aspects of Casual and Part-time Employment’, Journal of Industrial Relations 27, June, 158-171. Burgess, J. and Campbell, I. (1998), ‘Casual Employment in Australia: Growth, Characteristics, A Bridge or Trap?’, The Economic and Labour Relations Review 9, June, 31-54. Campbell. I. (1996a), ‘Casual Employment, Labour Regulation and Australian Trade Unions’, Journal of Industrial Relations 38, December, 57-599. Campbell, I. and Burgess, J. (2001a), ‘Casual Employment in Australia and Temporary Employment in Europe: Developing a Cross-National Comparison’, Work, Employment and Society 15, March, 171- 184. Read More