Academic literature on the topic 'Income and labour dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA)'

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of labour force participation behaviour of married Australian women, with a focus on identifying the sources of observed inter-temporal labour force participation persistence. Design/methodology/approach A dynamic Probit model is applied to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a national representative panel survey of Australian households. The model used accounts for observed and unobserved individual heterogeneity and serially correlated transitory shocks to labour supply. Findings The results show that both observed and unobserved individual heterogeneity contributes to observed inter-temporal persistence of labour force participation of married Australian women, but the persistence remains even after controlling for these factors. It is also found that failing to control for serially correlated unobserved transitory shocks would lead to underestimation of genuine state dependence of labour force participation; and that state dependence of labour force participation varies with age, education, health, immigration status and the number of children under the school age. Originality/value This study adds to the international literature on labour force dynamics of women by providing Australian empirical evidence and through a flexible modelling framework. The result that there exists genuine positive state dependence in married Australian women’s labour force participation suggests that policy intervention that increases married women’s labour supply would have a long-lasting effect.

This article uses data from Wave 1 of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) 2001 survey to examine whether there is a difference in financial well-being between casual and permanent employees. The study examines two measures of financial difficulty and one measure of financial satisfaction and finds that casual employees fare worse than permanent employees on all three measures. The results indicate that casual employees are less likely to afford basic costs of living, such as bills and mortgage/rent, and have higher levels of financial difficulty as well as lower levels of financial satisfaction. The article concludes that casual employment imposes significant financial strains on employees.

This article investigates the impacts of financial shocks on the role of the family home in asset portfolios of Australian households using longitudinal data from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. The life events considered are serious illness or injury, death of a spouse, fired or made redundant, and separation from a spouse. We use a static and dynamic Tobit models to assess the impact and duration of the life events on the portfolio share of the family home. The insights gained from this study may be important for financial planners, as adverse wealth outcomes may be hedged through better financial education, insurance products, or general financial preparedness.

Abstract Previous studies have linked Catholic schooling to higher academic achievement. We add to the literature on Catholic schooling by examining its effect on long-term wages in Australia, independent of effects on academic achievement. Using panel data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) survey and fixed effects estimation, we find that during the prime-age of a career, wages for Catholic school graduates progress with labor market experience at a greater rate, on average, than wages for public school graduates. Importantly, we find no evidence to suggest that these benefits are peculiar to Catholic schooling, with similar benefits estimated for graduates of independent private schools. These findings suggest that private schooling may be important in not only fostering higher academic achievement but also in better preparing students for a working life.

Large representative surveys have become a valuable resource to inform public policy in an increasingly complex modern world. They provide authority to policy since they are considered objective, neutral and scientific. In contrast, this article conceives the production of knowledge as an interactive process. We argue that the conduct of large social surveys tends to reinforce existing world views, power relations and a narrow construction of social issues. To illustrate this, we draw on a small exploratory study which examined the experience of responding to selected survey questions of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia study (HILDA). We suggest that while more open approaches are required to capture the complexities of everyday life, these are unlikely to be implemented given the dominance of particular forms of knowledge.

Abstract This paper estimates the effect of a major skilled visa programme in Australia on the wages and occupation-specific skills performed by native workers. We combine data from the full population of approved Temporary Work Visa applications with the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) longitudinal survey from 2005–2015. Our findings indicate that skilled international workers increase the wages of natives, and induce native workers to specialize in occupations associated with a high intensity of communication and cognitive skills. We find no evidence of negative effects of the visa programme on the wages of high-skilled or low-skilled native workers, or on previous migrants who may be close substitutes to the skilled visa holders.

Using data from Wave 1 of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, this paper analyses the extent to which childlessness among Australian women aged 40–54 years varies according to the size and type of family in which they were brought up, and the level and type of schooling they had. Multilevel logistic analysis shows that having been educated in a non-government school, having stayed at school to year 12, having a small number of siblings, at age 14 having a father who was either dead or absent, at age 14 having a father who was employed in a professional occupation, or being a migrant from North or West Europe, North America, East Asia or South-East Asia, all are significantly associated with higher rates of childlessness among women in the 40–54 years age range. The effects of these early lifecourse variables on marital and socioeconomic status in later life, and hence on childlessness, are also considered. The implications of the findings for fertility trends and for Australia’s public debate are discussed.

Does time spent in a cohabiting relationship prior to marriage lead to more egalitarian housework arrangements after marriage? Previous research has shown that housework patterns within cohabiting relationships are more egalitarian than in marital relationships. But do these patterns remain when couples marry? The findings from previous studies are mixed. This article uses three waves of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to examine changes in men’s and women’s time spent on housework as they transition into marriage. The results show that men’s housework hours remain stable regardless of life course pathway, and for women there is only minimal evidence that different pathways into marriage lead to different housework outcomes. The article concludes that the gender division of labor is developed well before the formation of a union and that the pathway to marriage has a relatively small effect on housework patterns after marriage.

Both economic and psychological research provides strong evidence that unemployment adversely affects a person's mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, which in turn may impair his/her ability to regain employment. Studies also suggest a person's "psychological capital" (personality traits that influence the productivity of labour) may mediate (1) the impact of unemployment on wellbeing and facilitate re-employment. While the effects of unemployment have been well documented, the simultaneous relationship between wellbeing and labour market status and the influencing role of psychological capital have received much less attention, requiring further investigation. There is still concern in the literature that "the exact nature of the interrelationships between labour market experience and mental health remains unclear and complicated by questions over the direction of causality and heterogeneous impacts across individuals." (Dockery, 2006, p. 2) The purpose of this research is to explore the interrelationship between labour market status, wellbeing, and psychological capital in more detail. The thesis combines key concepts from various economic and psychological theories, each partially describing how labour market status, wellbeing, and psychological capital interact with each other. The validity of the integrated model is then tested by estimating structural equations for labour market status and wellbeing using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. The HILDA Survey is a broad social and economic survey that focuses on family and household formation, income and work. The survey contains economic, psychological, and demographic data with sound psychometric qualities for a large sample of working aged Australians that makes it well suited to this type of analysis. As well as the regression analyses, the results of a case study conducted with a group of jobseekers at an employment agency are also reported. The study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of personal development training for the unemployed (designed to improve psychological capital), and its subsequent influence on their ability to regain employment. While the research was halted before completion, some valuable insights were gleamed from the study, and these warrant discussion. Findings of the research indicate a simultaneous relationship exists between labour market status and wellbeing. Individuals with healthier wellbeing are more likely to be employed, and employment contributes to healthier wellbeing. The results also indicate psychological capital is an important variable influencing wellbeing, partially mediating the impact of unemployment on wellbeing. Employed individuals have significantly higher psychological capital than those who are unemployed or not in the labour force, or those who transition in and out of employment. Psychological capital appears to be a relatively stable, but somewhat malleable, personality construct that does not vary greatly for individuals experiencing changes in labour market status (LMS). People who develop poor psychological capital during youth may therefore be predisposed to a higher risk of being unemployed when they enter the labour market. The results suggest programs/policies that foster healthier wellbeing and psychological capital during youth, or repair damaged psychological capital once in the labour market, could help lower unemployment or the duration of unemployment. Recent Australian government policy initiatives designed to improve labour force participation and productivity by enhancing human capital are likely to be more effective if they also target psychological capital. The research also highlights shortcomings in mainstream economic theory, which are discussed along with the weaknesses of the study, and opportunities for further research. (1) A mediator effect (or indirect effect) involves one or more "intervening variables" transmitting some or all of the causal effects of prior variables (e.g. unemployment) onto subsequent variables (e.g. wellbeing). See: Byrne, 2001).

Research into subjective well-being suggests that happier people are healthier and more professionally productive, achieve goals more easily and are more often successful in personal relationships. Unfortunately, studies in the USA and Britain suggest that there has been an overall decline in self-reported well-being since the 1970's, particularly for females. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey appear to corroborate the international evidence. Using HILDA 2001 to 2011 data, this chapter investigates: levels of life satisfaction; association between life satisfaction and social connectedness; and whether declines in life satisfaction can be explained by declines in social connectedness. A positive association is found between life satisfaction and almost all measures of social connectedness for both genders. This association, however, only partly explains observed declines in life satisfaction. This research emphasises the importance of frequent, meaningful social connections and the urgency for governments to address declining well-being.

Research into subjective well-being suggests that happier people are healthier and more professionally productive, achieve goals more easily and are more often successful in personal relationships. Unfortunately, studies in the USA and Britain suggest that there has been an overall decline in self-reported well-being since the 1970's, particularly for females. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey appear to corroborate the international evidence. Using HILDA 2001 to 2011 data, this chapter investigates: levels of life satisfaction; association between life satisfaction and social connectedness; and whether declines in life satisfaction can be explained by declines in social connectedness. A positive association is found between life satisfaction and almost all measures of social connectedness for both genders. This association, however, only partly explains observed declines in life satisfaction. This research emphasises the importance of frequent, meaningful social connections and the urgency for governments to address declining well-being.