Degrees of Work: trends and implications for the management of university students in paid employment

The trend for Australian university students to work longer hours in paid employment is now quite clear. Previous studies have recognised the link between the general costs of university study but have done so almost exclusively from a metropolitan perspective. This paper will present a preliminary report on the results of a survey of the students of a regional university. However, even less apparent in other studies is how the growth in the paid employment of university students is a reflection of the changing character and nature of the contemporary labour market in Australia. This paper will identify the nature of the student employment in terms of industry and employment status, earnings and hours as well as other employment relations issues such as union membership and whether students are able to find employment in the area of their study. In this way this paper will explore the contemporary character of an important aspect of regional labour markets and highlight the human resource and industrial relations implications of this new and growing cohort of young workers.