This project was designed to identify ways in which the Fair Work Commission’s guides, resources and services could be improved to meet the needs of the small business community, within the scope of the current legislative framework.

Executive Summary

The study was conducted by the Workplace Research Centre, University of Sydney in collaboration with fieldwork company ORC International on behalf of the Fair Work Commission. It explores findings from the Award Reliance Survey (comprising a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) and an online survey) with around 11 500 non-public sector national system employers conducted from...

The study is based on four sources of data: (a) a survey of over 11,500 non-public sector organisations, (b) quantitative analysis of over 25,000 enterprise agreements, (c) qualitative analysis of 91 strategically selected agreements; and (d) 20 workplace case studies. Key findings (indicative) Organisations commonly used a number of pay-setting arrangements for their employees, with...

This report follows the Higher classification/professional employee award reliance qualitative research: Interim report and consolidates the findings from data collected over a 12 month period. This report examines the nature of employment arrangements and conditions of award-reliant employees at higher classifications and the persistence of award reliance over time. The findings depict the advantages and...