ACTU Secretary Sally McManus has today spoken following the release a UnionsWA survey report on job and wage insecurity among working West Australians. Financial hardship and the need to find additional hours of work or an extra job were widely reported together with negative impacts on health and lost time with family.
Sally McManus, ACTU Secretary said:
“This WA report shows what working people already know -secure, well-paid jobs are harder to find and those who are falling into insecure work are struggling to make ends meet.
“Among those in insecure work, almost two in five (39%) report that they are either going further into debt or barely meeting costs of living it also shows that people in insecure work are much more likely to be among the record number of Australians working multiple jobs.
“The cost-of-living crisis that working people are facing has been caused by insecure work and low wage growth.
“There are practical changes Scott Morrison could make to address these crises, but when Australian workers need him most, he is missing in action.
“Rather than fighting to make sure workers have secure jobs that support them and their families, he has made it easier for employers to exploit workers.”
Owen Whittle, Secretary UnionsWA said:
“This report found that those in insecure jobs were almost three times as likely (27%) as those in secure jobs full time jobs to be seeking additional hours of work or another job.
“To just get by, the survey found that those in insecure jobs were three time more likely to hold down two or more jobs (17%) compared with those in a secure job (5%).
“The detailed case studies collected through this study also found that insecure work has a negative impact on diet, mental health and family relationships, often affected by having no access to paid recreational or sickness leave.
“If employers wish to attract and retain staff, they need to provide both decent wages that keep pace with costs of living and provide secure employment.”
Further information
The UnionsWA 'Job and Wage Insecurity in Western Australia Survey Report 2022' can be viewed or downloaded online here.
