Multiple Job Holding
(FRST Research Project TBAX0204)

Details of Project:

Research Leader:
Dr Nick Taylor
Research Team:
Nick Taylor, James Baines, Gerard Fitzgerald, Bill Karaitiana, Wayne McClintock, Jamie Newell, Julie Warren
Objectives:
  • Determine the extent and nature of multiple job holding in New Zealand society and economy as a positive change strategy for individuals, families and communities.
  • Identify the factors which encourage or inhibit the adoption of multiple job holding as a change strategy, and determine the impacts of multiple job holding on individuals, families and communities.
Current Research:

This programme, which ran from 2001-2007, is providing knowledge about the way individuals, families and communities are adapting to social and economic change through multiple job holding. It complements and extends ongoing research into the characteristics of work in natural resource sectors (see TBAX0001 above) to provide comprehensive information on multiple job holding across a range of sectors. A review of relevant research and literature in New Zealand and internationally helped to develop the research framework and definitions.

Information on working life includes part-time work, self employment, casual work, home-based and tele-work. The research covers participation of women and Maori in the paid workforce. Issues considered include motivations for undertaking multiple jobs, hours of work, conditions of work, health and safety, technological change, training and retraining, individual and family life courses, patterns of leisure and consumption, and family and community life. The research also considers how multiple job holding contributes to local, regional, iwi and national economic strategies.

Results have proven of value to government agencies, local government, iwi, NGOs and community groups active in employment policy, training, and social and economic development, and those who support decisions about employment by individuals, families (whanau) and communities as they respond to social and economic change. An overview of research interests and issues, approaches and base-line data on multiple job holding were obtained by consulting with key agencies and end users early in the research. Since then end users have been involved through ongoing discussions, conferences, workshops and hui, and further participation is always welcomed by the research team.

The research developed an initial profile of the workforce and multiple job holding from the 2001 Census and the Household Labour Force Surveys. The research has continued to build a detailed profile of multiple job holding in New Zealand, extending the initial analysis of 2001 census data into longitudinal analysis for the period 1991-2001, and then for the longer period of 1981-2001 (the full period for which it is possible to extract the necessary data). This analysis of census data over a 20 year period of major change in the New Zealand workforce is made possible through the research team members developing an innovative statistical library for time-series analysis of the census. Additional analysis was undertaken of the Time Use Survey and the longitudinal Survey of Families Income and Employment. Results are available in a number of forms including spread sheets, working papers, conference and workshop presentations.

In-depth interviews were conducted with 180 multiple job holders in 2003. These interviews comprised 60 each of farmers, health professionals and café/restaurant workers. Results from the first cycle of interviews are available in conference papers and workshop presentations, working papers and external publications. A second cycle of 180 interviews was conducted in 2005 across a further three further sector groups: accountants, small accommodation providers and people working in the creative sector.

The programme has supported capacity development in the social sciences through several summer studentships and two masters research students based at the Centre for Social Science Research (Sociology Department), University of Canterbury. Thesis research has focussed on the skills, credentials and social networks of older multiple job holders (Michele Girvan), and on multiple job holding and Maori whanau (Huia Pere).

The research team is collaborating with the Labour Market Dynamics Research Project at Massey University, Albany, holding joint workshops in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland for end users interested in non-standard work.

Links:

Labour Market Dynamics Research Programme, Massey University
lmd.massey.ac.nz

Department of Labour Future of Work Programme
www.dol.govt.nz/futureofwork/index.asp

New Zealand Work Life Balance Project
www.dol.govt.nz/worklife/index.asp

Outputs:

 
Working Papers:
Dynamics and implications of multiple job holding by Maori for individuals, families and communities.
Download working paper #16, 2007 (622 kB, pdf)

Analysis of interviews with people holding multiple jobs in the accommodation sector.
Download working paper #15, June 2006 (171 kB, pdf)

Analysis of interviews with people holding multiple jobs in the creative sector.
Download working paper #14, June 2006 (273 kB, pdf)

Analysis of interviews with people holding multiple jobs in the accounting sector.
Download working paper #13, June 2006 (151 kB, pdf)

Multiple job holding: comparison of data from the Household Labour Force Survey and the Census.
Download working paper #12, Revised June 2006 (236 kB, pdf)

Trends in the New Zealand labour market, non-standard work and multiple job holding 1981-2001.
Download working paper #11, November 2005 (WARNING ~ 6.0 MB, pdf)

Multiple job holding by Maori - Scoping of issues, census data and research approach.
Download working paper #10, July 2005, Revised July 2007 (639 kB, pdf)

Multiple job holding data from the Time Use Survey 1998/99.
Download working paper #9, March 2005 (236 kB, pdf)

Analysis of interviews with people holding multiple jobs in the farming sector.
Download working paper #8, June 2004, Revised August 2006 (152 kB, pdf)

Analysis of interviews with people holding multiple jobs in the cafe and restaurant sector.
Download working paper #7, June 2004, Revised January 2006 (111 kB, pdf)

Analysis of interviews with people holding multiple jobs in the health sector.
Download working paper #6, June 2004 (133 kB, pdf)

Trends in multiple job holding 1991-2001.
Working paper #5 superceded by working paper #11 above.

A profile of multiple job holding in New Zealand based on 2001 census data.
Download working paper #2, April 2003 (1,483 kB, pdf)

Multiple job holding, an annotated bibliography.
Download working paper #1 updated Feb 2003 (172 kB, pdf)

Conference Papers:
Multiple job holding: Interpreting Labour Market Change and Economic Diversification in Rural Communities.
Download conference paper, July 2007 (40 kB, pdf)

Labour market changes, livelihoods and social capital: Some issues for social policy.
Download conference paper, April 2007 (40 kB, pdf)

The work-life balance and multiple job holding: Implications for social and economic policy.
Download conference paper, April 2007 (42 kB, pdf)

Variation in multiple job holding rates among women with young children as an indicator of worklife balance.
Download conference paper, November 2006 (28 kB, pdf)

The pitfalls of monitoring minority labour market phenomena.
Download conference paper, November 2006 (279 kB, pdf)

Framework for examining sub-optimal employment.
Download conference paper, November 2006 (114 kB, pdf)

Multiple job holding - A working option for young people.
Download conference paper, November 2006 (131 kB, pdf)

The Potential Influence of Multiple Job Holding on Official Statistics Describing the Rural Workforce: Issues for Data Series and Workforce Policy..
Download conference paper, August 2006 (93 kB, pdf)

New Findings: Trends in the incidence of multiple job holding in the New Zealand labour market between 1981 and 2001.
Download these findings, June 2005 (22 kB, pdf)

Effects of Multiple Job Holding on the Work-life Balance.
Download this conference paper, November 2004 (197 kB, pdf)

Multiple Job Holding in New Zealand: a Growing Presence in New Zealand's Labour Markets, 20-year Trends.
Download this conference paper, November 2004 (714 kB, pdf)

Some characteristics of multiple job holding by New Zealand farm men and women.
Download this conference paper, June 2004 (692 kB, pdf)  

New Findings: Census analysis 1981-2001 shows increase in non-standard work.
Download these findings, June 2004 (118 kB, pdf)

Trends in Multiple Job Holding in the New Zealand Economy 1991-2001.
Download this conference paper, October 2003 (375 kB, pdf)

Skills, credentials and social networks: older multiple job holders in the Christchurch labour market.
Download this conference paper, October 2003 (36 kB, pdf)

Multiple job holding of farmers in New Zealand.
Download this conference paper, May 2003 (205 kB, pdf)

Multiple job holding in New Zealand - A Statistical Profile.
Download this conference paper, Feb 2002 (107 kB, pdf)

Published elsewhere:
Robertson, Nicola; Harvey C. Perkins and Nick Taylor (2008). Mulitple job holding: interpreting economic, labour market and social change in rural communities. Sociologia Ruralis, 48,4:331-350.

Newell, James (2005). Explaining continuity in New Zealand's local labour markets. Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, 11(2) October.

Newell, James and Perry, Martin (2005). Older people and self-employment. In Claire Massey (ed.), Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management in New Zealand, Pearson Prentice Hall.

Taylor, Nick; Wayne McClintock; James Baines and James Newell (2004). Multiple job holding in the agriculture sector. New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations, 29, 3:67-82.

Taylor, Nick; James Baines and Jamie Newell (2004).Multiple job holding. Chapter 6 in Paul Spoonley, Ann Dupuis and Anne de Bruin (eds.), Work and Working in Twenty-first Century New Zealand. Dunmore Press, Palmerston North.
Thesis:
Girvan Michelle A (2005). Skills, credential and social networks: multiple job holding of older workers. MA Thesis in Sociology, University of Canterbury.

Pere, Huia (2007). Whanau coping under the circumstance of multiple job holding. MA Thesis in Sociology, University of Canterbury.
⇑ Top ⇑