Labour Market and Income Trajectories of Award‐Reliant Workers: Evidence From the HILDA Survey

ABSTRACT An important group of interest for industrial tribunals in Australia is employees who are reliant on awards for their pay and other employment conditions. The HILDA Survey has collected information on the method of pay setting of employees since 2008, allowing identification of award‐reliant workers. This paper describes the characteristics, employment, wages and incomes of award‐reliant workers over the period 2008–2023 and examines trajectories in labour market and income outcomes. While award‐reliant workers are on average low‐paid and less likely to be employed full‐time than other workers, it is found that they tend not to live in poor households and, moreover, have greater growth in full‐time employment and wages than other employees. However, it is also found that their more favourable labour market trajectories do not, overall, translate into improvements in their economic wellbeing over time.