Fair Work Australia's Minimum Wages and Research Branch is required to conduct research as part of the annual wage review.
The research program for the Annual Wage Review 2011-12 was finalised in a statement on 22 November 2011 following a process where interested parties were invited to submit proposals.
In undertaking the research program, the Minimum Wages and Research Branch consults a Minimum Wage Research Group comprising a chair from the branch and representatives nominated by:
In addition to research projects, statistical reporting is also undertaken on a range of data relevant to annual wage reviews. This work will be published separately to the research reports.
It is anticipated that, subject to data limitations, the project will include:
This first phase of this project will investigate modern award reliance by considering whether modern award coverage can be mapped to the Class/4-digit level industry classifications contained in the Australia and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification 2006. The project will also explore the extent to which any ‘map’ produced could be used to facilitate analysis of data on award reliance in relation to selected modern awards. A second phase of research for this project will involve, to the extent possible, a comprehensive mapping exercise.
This project will provide in-depth qualitative analysis of the factors leading to, and resulting from, award wage reliance among a collection of workers in higher award classification/professional employment. The objectives of the research will be met by examining the experiences of higher classification award wage-reliant workers, and will have a particular focus on professionals. Data collection and analysis will occur over two phases that will assist in informing the design of a quantitative survey of award wage reliance.
This research will analyse Australian data on award reliance and equal remuneration issues. The research will include published and unpublished data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This project will primarily examine national system organisations in which at least one employee has their pay set at the specified award rate. The key objective of the study is to understand the mix or ‘categories’ of such employees and, where possible, their location on award classification scales. A particular focus of the research will be to identify professionals and other employees on higher award classifications whose pay is set at the specified award rate. The study will consist of a quantitative survey of such organisations. Data will be gathered on the size and structure of these organisations, the nature of employment arrangements within these organisations as well as information on bargaining activity within them.
This project will examine how minimum wage increases impact on over award wages and the incentive to bargain. The study will include enterprise case studies, the content analysis of enterprise agreements, and the generation and statistical analysis of workplace survey data. This multi-method approach will be used to investigate the motivations, processes and outcomes of wage setting at the workplace level, and examine the role that the minimum wages increases play in shaping agreement-making and over award wage determination.
Party | Document Date | Date Uploaded |
---|---|---|
Australian Industry Group (Response to draft program) | 04 November 2011 | 07 November 2011 |
Australian Council of Trade Unions (Response to draft program) | 28 October 2011 | 28 October 2011 |
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (additional material) | 29 September 2011 | 30 September 2011 |
Australian Business Industrial | 20 September 2011 | 20 September 2011 |
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (further material) | 19 September 2011 | 20 September 2011 |
Australian Industry Group | 15 August 2011 | 17 August 2011 |
Australian Council of Trade Unions | 02 August 2011 | 05 August 2011 |
Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations | 01 August 2011 | 02 August 2011 |
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union | 29 July 2011 | 29 July 2011 |
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations | 29 July 2011 | 29 July 2011 |