TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction
  • Objectives
  • Survey of Working Life (SoWL) and Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) March 2008 data
  • Structure of this report
• 1.  Low Pay
  • Defining low pay.
  • Low pay amongst prime-aged (25–54) employees in New Zealand
  • Trends in low pay
  • Characteristics of low-paid workers
  • Characteristics of low-paid jobs
  • Size of establishment and sector of employment
  • Tenure
  • New Zealand-born and migrant employees
• 2. The Characteristics of Prime-aged Employees who Work Fewer than Full-time Hours
  • Hours of work, gender and low pay
  • Occupations where employees work less than full-time
  • Being employed less than full-time and low pay
  • Hours of work, pay and the desire to work more hours
  • Hourly pay
  • Hours of work and qualifications
  • The impact of qualifications on low pay
  • Other characteristics of prime-aged employees working less than full-time
  • Temporary/permanent status of prime-aged employees
  • Employer-funded education and training
  • Family and household circumstances
  • Welfare, low pay and less than full-time employment
• 3. Characteristics of Women aged 25–54 employed as Sales Workers, Cleaners,  Caretakers and Personal Care Workers
• Ethnicity
• Hours and working conditions
• Temporary work
• Working time
• Wanting to work more hours
• Tenure
• Establishment size and sector
• Training
• Qualifications
• Pay
• Pay progression for those who remain in the same occupation
• The impact of qualifications on pay
• Earned income within families
• 4. What helps and hinders prime-aged women’s progress at work?
  • Occupations and firms matter
  • Quitting work and working less than full-time reduces progression
  • Within firms, what works and what hinders women’s skills acquisition and advancement
  • The barriers to training
  • What more could be done?
• 5. Conclusion
• References
• Appendix: Data Tables (HLFS and SoWL, March 2008)