The employment of Aboriginal Australians in the labour market

Abstract

This paper is the second of two examining the effect of Aboriginality on employment and labour market status using data from the 1986 Population Census. It begins by presenting the data from the full-count of the 1986 Census showing that Aboriginal men and women had a lower employment rate (employment to population ratio) than non-Aboriginal men and women in each State and Territory and in each section-of-State. The results of a formal analysis of employment status using data from the 1 per cent sample of the Census show that there is a statistically significant negative effect of Aboriginality on the probability of employment. Most of the difference in the employment probabilities between Aborigines and non-Aborigines cannot be explained by the standard human capital variables but rather by factors associated with Aboriginality. The implications of these results for Aboriginal employment policy are considered in the conclusion.