Non-Standard Employment and Job Satisfaction: Evidence from the Hilda Survey

Abstract

It is widely assumed that non-standard employment arrangements, and especially casual employment, involve employment conditions that are inferior to more traditional employment arrangements. This paper uses data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey to examine this issue. These data suggest that workers do not necessarily see non-standard employment as undesirable. First, workers on fixed-term contracts are more satisfied with their jobs than other workers. Second, the lower levels of job satisfaction among casual employees are restricted to those working full-time and even then the size of the effect is only marked among male employees.