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Travail to No Avail? Working Poverty in Australia Since 2000

Author

Listed:
  • Joan Rodgers

    (University of Wollongong)

  • Douglas Robson

    (University of Wollongong)

Abstract

During the last decade or so Australia has experienced high rates of economic growth and low levels of unemployment, conditions that are expected to have a favourable impact on working people at the lower end of the income distribution. But similar conditions in other countries have been accompanied by unexpectedly high rates of poverty among working people and their dependents. This paper investigates the extent and nature of working poverty in Australia. A recent Senate Inquiry claimed that working poverty is the ‘new face of poverty in post-industrial Australia’. The aim of this paper is to determine whether this claim is valid.

Suggested Citation

  • Joan Rodgers & Douglas Robson, 2008. "Travail to No Avail? Working Poverty in Australia Since 2000," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 11(1), pages 7-25.
    • Handle: RePEc:ozl:journl:v:11:y:2008:i:1:p:7-25
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Gleicher & Lonnie K. Stevans, 2005. "A Comprehensive Profile of the Working Poor," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 19(3), pages 517-529, September.
    2. Peter Saunders & Bruce Bradbury, 2006. "Monitoring Trends in Poverty and Income Distribution: Data, Methodology and Measurement," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 82(258), pages 341-364, September.
    3. Rebecca M. Blank, 2008. "Presidential address: How to improve poverty measurement in the United States," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2), pages 233-254.
    4. Marlene Kim, 1998. "The Working Poor: Lousy Jobs or Lazy Workers?," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(1), pages 65-78, March.
    5. Tony Eardley, 2000. "Working but Poor? Low Pay and Poverty in Australia," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 11(2), pages 308-338, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Roger Wilkins, 2021. "Economic Wellbeing," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 54(4), pages 469-481, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Measurement and Analysis of Poverty; Welfare and Poverty; Labor Force and Employment; Size; and Structure;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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