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Does Part-Time Employment Help or Hinder Lone Mothers Movements into Full-Time Employment?

Author

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  • Yin King Fok

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

  • Sung-Hee Jeon

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

  • Roger Wilkins

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

A significant demographic trend in recent decades in Australia has been the growth in lone parent families as a proportion of all families, associated with which has been growth in welfare dependency. This has led to considerable policy focus on increasing lone parent participation in employment. A key issue that has arisen for the Government in pursuing this policy goal is whether, in the context of a welfare system that accommodates the combining of part-time employment with welfare receipt, part-time employment helps or hinders a progression to full-time employment, and whether and how this depends on characteristics such as the number and ages of dependent children. In this study, we investigate this issue using Australian panel data on female lone parents over the period 2001 to 2007. We estimate dynamic random effects multinomial logit models of three labour force states – not employed, employed part-time, and employed full-time – allowing investigation of whether part-time work represents a stepping stone to full-time employment. Evidence in support of the stepping stone hypothesis is found. Part-time employment increases the probability of full-time employment in the next year by approximately six percentage points. No (statistically significant) evidence is found that this stepping stone function varies by number of children or age of the youngest child.

Suggested Citation

  • Yin King Fok & Sung-Hee Jeon & Roger Wilkins, 2009. "Does Part-Time Employment Help or Hinder Lone Mothers Movements into Full-Time Employment?," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2009n25, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    • Handle: RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2009n25
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lixin Cai, 2015. "The dynamics of low pay employment in Australia," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(7), pages 1095-1123, October.
    2. Cai, Lixin & Mavromaras, Kostas & Sloane, Peter J., 2016. "Low Paid Employment in Britain: Estimating State-Dependence and Stepping Stone Effects," IZA Discussion Papers 9633, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Jennifer Baxter & Jennifer Renda, 2011. "Lone and couple mothers in the Australian labour market: differences in employment transitions," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 14(2), pages 103-122.
    4. Lixin Cai, 2018. "Dynamic Labour Supply of Married Australian Women," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 32(3), pages 427-450, September.

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