Contract Type and Term

11 Figure 2 shows trends in the proportion of staff covered by an individual employment contract (IEC), compared with the proportion on current or expired collective employment contracts (CEC). The proportion of Public Service staff on IECs has increased from 17% to 42% over the past five years; the proportion for the selected State sector organisations has increased from 25% to 38%.

12 There has been a significant increase in the proportion of Public Service staff covered by expired CECs and a corresponding decrease in the proportion covered by current CECs. This reflects an emerging trend for a longer period between the expiry of a CEC and the completed negotiation of a new one. It is likely that some of those covered by expired CECs will move onto IECs rather than renegotiated CECs.

Figure 2: Proportion of FTEs by Contract Type 1995-1999

13 The data on contract term (fixed or open) in the Public Service has shown a fairly consistent pattern over time. As at 30 June 1999, 9.6% of Public Service staff were on fixed term contracts. This figure has varied between 7.9% and 10.4% over the last five years. The selected State sector organisations make greater use of fixed term contracts, with 12.9% of staff employed for a fixed term at 30 June 1999, compared with a low of 11.9% in June 1995.

14 Women were slightly more likely than men to be on fixed term contracts in both the Public Service and the selected State sector organisations. There was little difference between the proportion of men and women with respect to CECs and IECs in either sector.