Aged Care Workers in Australia: The Intersection of Employment Conditions & Migrant Status Sara Charlesworth Centre for Sustainable Organisations & Work Social Care Workforce Research Unit Policy Institute at King’s College 1 July 2015

Presentation* Australian  context  •  Frontline  aged  care  workers  

•  community  care  (HCWs)  &  residen:al  (PCWs)      

Ques1ons  •  Working  condi:ons  of  migrant  workers  in  aged  care?  •  Intersec:on  of  migra:on/  employment/  care  regimes  in  

produc:on  of  working  condi:ons?      

Framings  •  Intersec:ng  care/employment/migra:on  regimes  (Simonazzi  

2009;  Williams  2012;  Shutes  &  ChiaJ  2012)  

•  Dynamic  process  of  formalisa:on/informalisa:on                                                    (Freedland  &  Kountouris  2012;  Fudge  2012;  le  Bilan  2012)  

*  ARC:  FT  120100346    

Australian Context Care  regime  

•  Formal  vs  ‘familial  care’-­‐  dis:nc:ve  liberal  welfare  regime  (Brennan  et  al  2012)  •  Government  funding  models/marke:za:on  of  care    •  Undervalua:on  of  paid  care  work  

Employment  regime  •  Deregula:on  –  reduc:on  in  protec:on  of  workers  (Campbell  &  Tham  2012)  •  Safety-­‐net:  NMW  +  NES  +  Industry  awards    •  Gaps/poorer  condi:ons,  esp  in  care  awards  •  Mechanisms  to  address  low  wages  in  aged  care  

Migra1on  regime  •  Historical  dependence  on  permanent  migrant  labour  →temporary  migra:on  

(Hugo  2009;  Mares  2012)  •  ‘Same’  employment  regime  for  temporary  visa  holders  •  But  no  direct  recruitment  of  HCWs/PCWs  

   

 Source:  2012  Na:onal  Aged  Care  Workforce  Census  &  Survey

HCWs (n=2349)  

PCAs (n=4856)  

Birthplace    

Aust (71%)  

ESB (10%)  

NESB (19%)  

Aust (64%)  

ESB (9%)  

NESB (27%)  

Private sector   6%   4.2%   10.1%   28.8%   30.7%   35.6%  

PT (<38 h pw)   90.7%   89.2%   95%   86.5%   83.4%   86.5%  

Casual   19%   23%   43%   10%   12%   10%  

Av paid hours pw  

26.3   23.6   21.3   31.1   32.6   31  

Want more hours  

31.1%   42.2%   29.4%   33.7%   29.9%   44.5%  

Hold 1 job +   11.6%   18.3%   22.2%   8.5%   7.1%   15.7%  

HCWs   PCAs  

Migrant Status    

Aust-born (78%)  

Perm Migrant  

Temp migrant (1%)  

Aust-born (61%)  

Perm migrant (34%)  

Temp migrant (5%)  

PT (<38 h/w)   90.7%   93%   *   86.4%   85.5%   92.5.%  

Casual   18.9%   36.2%   *   9.5%   9.4%   21.5%  

Paid hours pw  

26.8   23.3   *   31.2   32.1   27.2  

Want more hours  

31.1%   34.5%   *   33.7%   38.9%   53.2%  

Hold 1 job+   11.6%   19.8%   *   8.4%   14.1%   10.9%  

Source:  2012  Na:onal  Aged  Care  Workforce  Census  &  Survey

Time in Aus - wash out effect of migrant status?#

 

HCWs:  • No  sig  diff  between  Australian-­‐born  &  migrants  in  terms  of  casual  status  BUT  NESB  more  likely  to  remain  casual  than  ESB  migrants*  

• Migrants  v  Aus-­‐born  and  casual  v    other  migrants  more  likely  to  work  fewer  weekly  hours**  • Years  in  Aus  increases  average  weekly  hrs  for  ESB,  not  for  NESB  migrants**  

• No  sig  diff  between  Australian-­‐born  &  migrants  nor  between  ESB  &  NESB  migrants  in  terms  wan:ng  to  work  more  hours    

• Migrants  more  likely  to  hold  1+  job  than  Aus-­‐born;*  no  diff  between  ESB  &  NESB    • Casual  migrants  2x  as  likely  to  hold  1+job;*  no  diff  between  ESB  &  NESB      

     

#Controlling  for  demographic  &  employer  characteris6cs:  sex,  age,  financial  dependants,  years  in  Aus  &  employer  size,  employer  type  (FP  NFP  &  govt)      **p<0.01      *p<  0.5      

Time in Aus - wash out effect of migrant status?# PCWs:  • NESB  more  likely  to  remain  casual  than  ESB  migrants*  • Migrants  more  likely  to  work  more  hours  than  Aust-­‐born*  

• Male  migrants  work  more  hours  than  female  migrants**  •  Casual  migrants  work  fewer  hours  than  perm/fixed  term  migrants**  

• Migrants  remain  more  likely  than  Aust-­‐born  to  want  hours+**    •  Casual  migrants  2  x  as  likely  to  want  more  hrs  than  perm/fixed  migrants**  

• Migrants  more  likely  than  Aust-­‐born  PCWs  to  hold  1+jobs**    •  Casual  migrants  2  x  as  likely  hold  1+jobs  than  perm/fixed  term  migrants*  

RMIT University©2015 School of Management/Centre for Sustainable Organisations & Work

#Controlling  for  demographic  &  employer  characteris6cs:  sex,  age,  financial  dependants,    years  in  Aus  &  employer  size,  employer  type  (FP  NFP  &  govt)      **p<0.01      *p<  0.5  

Effect of migrant status over time?

• For  HCWs  migrant  status  &  casual  status  intersect,  esp  for  NESB  • effect  of  being  NESB  and/or  casual  on  working  fewer  hours,  wan:ng  more  hours,  holding  1+  jobs  persists    

• For  PCWs,  effect  of  migrant  status  on  being  casual/working  fewer  hours  washes  out,  tho  not  for  NESB    • effect  of  migrant  status  on  wan:ng  more  work  or  holding  1+jobs  persists,  esp  for  casual  migrants  

 • Why  fewer  differences  for  PCAs  over  :me?    

•  rela:vely  more  protec:ve  emp  regime/perm  migrant  status?  

• Why  experience  of  NESB  migrants  different  to  ESB  migrants?  

• But  rela:vely  poorer  condi:ons  for  all  HCWs/PCAs  in  Aus  LM    

RMIT University©2015 School of Management/Centre for Sustainable Organisations & Work

Changes in migration regime •  Increased  use  of  labour  agreements?    

•  Employer  push  for  ‘relaxing’  skills  criteria  of  skilled  migra:on  program      

•  Government  endorsement  of  informal  work  to  fill  formal  care  gaps  through  migra:on?  

•  Harder  for  temporary  migrants  to  become  permanent?  (Mares  2012)  

Changes in care regime

•  Balance  between  familial  vs  formal  care?  

•  Funding  models  (→HC)  /same  ‘funding  envelope’?    

•  Consumer-­‐directed  care→  individualised  cash-­‐for-­‐care  –  more  ‘flexible’  HCWs?  

•  No  funding  mechanism  to  address  low  wages  

•  Increase  in  private  sector  presence  (US-­‐based  HC  franchises)  

   

Changes in employment regime?

•  Poli:cal  hos:lity  to  Fair  Work  safety-­‐net  

•  Review  of  Modern  Awards:  •  Specific  in-­‐home  care  award?  •  Further  degrada:on  of  PT  condi:ons?  •  Push  for  travel  :me  for  HCWs  not  union  priority?  

•  Increase  in  ‘sham  contrac:ng’/dependent  contractors?  

•  Zero  hours  contracts?  

Conclusion

 •  ‘Migrants  in  aged  care’  or  ‘Migrant  aged  care  workers’  or?  (Howe  2009)  

•  Worse  condi:ons  for  migrant/all  aged  care  workers?  èinformalisa:on  of  HC  work?  

 

•  Future  Prospects  ?