Australia has one of the largest casual workforces in the world and it has been hard-hit by Covid-19 restrictions, with almost 70 per cent of casual workers reporting they are suffering financially, a Humanforce survey has revealed.
This financial hardship experienced by casual workers was the result of many employers having shut-down or reduced staff and hours as a result of Covid-19, according to 70 per cent of casual workers surveyed.
“Covid-19 has seen a number of Australian businesses that typically employ high numbers of casual workers, especially in the hospitality, retail and event sectors, having to drastically scale back their operations or close entirely due to social distancing restrictions,” said Bruce Mackenzie, Managing Director and Founder, Humanforce.
“There have been many implications for Australia’s large pool of casual workers who have suddenly lost their jobs entirely or have had their shifts reduced dramatically, with the most pressing issue of all being the major financial hardships they are currently facing,” he said.
Australia’s workforce is made up of 25 per cent of casual workers, which is one of the highest rates amongst the OECD’s 14 member countries, according to its 2019 Employment Outlook.
“So many casual jobs in Australia are reliant on cafes, restaurants, bars, physical retail stores, event venues and stadiums being open,” added Bruce.
“If these businesses aren’t open and operating at anything near normal levels, then there is no role for many casual workers, because their jobs must be performed on site, not remotely,” he said.
-PR NEWSWIRE
