MORE than 1 million Queensland employees have flexible working arrangements in place, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Those who work in the government sector made greater use of flexible working arrangements than their colleagues in the private sector, with 67 per cent using some form flexibility in the last year - compared with 56 per cent in the private sector.
Significantly though, more people working in the government sector reported greater scope when choosing their start and finish times and when to take annual leave than their private sector counterparts. Commonwealth Government employees used more flexible working arrangements than state and local Government employees.
The driving force for Queenslanders wanting to work more hours were for financial reasons. However, lifestyle was the reason for those wanting to work fewer hours.
The data comes a day after Commonwealth Bank CEO Ralph Norris told business leaders in Brisbane that the biggest challenge for a recovering economy is the labour market.
“The one area where our flexibility will be challenged is in the labour market, which was flexed well during the GFC as businesses cut back hours of work as opposed to cutting back employment. We now have to test how well this market will perform during the boom,” he says.
Get our daily business news
Sign up to our free email news updates.
Help us deliver quality journalism to you.
As a free and independent news site providing daily updates
during a period of unprecedented challenges for businesses everywhere
we call on your support