Geography Working papers
This Working Paper is part of the The Geographies of Temporary Staffing Unit Working Paper series.
Agents of casualisation? Slow growth, fragmented markets and competitive margins in the Australian temporary staffing industry
Dr. Neil Coe, Dr. Jennifer Johns and Dr. Kevin Ward
Abstract
This paper presents a study of the Australian temporary staffing industry. It explores how temporary staffing markets are manufactured through the interactions between industrial relations and regulatory systems, on the one hand, and the structures and strategies of domestic and transnational temporary staffing agencies on the other. The paper draws on semi-structured interviews with government departments, labour unions, staffing agencies and their trade bodies, and secondary datasets to analyse the size, structure and characteristics of the Australian temporary staffing market. It argues that the Australian market differs in important ways from those other ‘liberal regimes’ – such as Canada, the UK and the US – with which it is often compared. While the regulation of the Australian temporary staffing industry remains light, the mainstream employment relationship remains regulated through a combination of awards and agreements: although the Federal Government is trying to centralise the industrial relations system, much of it remains overseen at the State level. In conclusion, the paper outlines an approach that seeks to explore the (often gradual) mutual transformation of the organizations and the territories in which they are embedded, rather than privileging one at the expense of the other.
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