Indigenous Australians in the Contemporary Labour Market

Abstract

This ABS monograph by CAEPR researcher Boyd Hunter is published under the Australian Census Analytic Program series. It both extends the understanding of important socioeconomic trends since 1971 and demonstrates the somewhat under-utilised power of census data to illuminate the social and policy agenda for Indigenous Australians.

Rather than merely replicating earlier analysis using more recent data, the monograph attempts to structure the economic analysis to enhance the interpretation of recent Indigenous involvement in the labour market in terms of supply and demand side factors. It documents the factors underlying Indigenous employment, after controlling for the effect of the CDEP scheme, and provides the first analysis of potential for discrimination against Indigenous employment in the labour market. The monograph also provides a unique analysis of Indigenous self-employment by the scale of the business, which is conducted separately for metropolitan, provincial and remote areas.