Home| Idx | Terms Ref | Exc Sum | Recommendations | Chp 1 | Chp 2 | Chp 3 | Chp 4 | Chp 5 | Apx | Disclaimer | Copyright VOLUNTEERING AND UNPAID WORK PLACEMENTS AMONG CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN NSW COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Cn CPT 4-UNPAID WORK PLACEMENTS - INCREASING PREVALENCE OF UNPAID WORK C4 Chapter Four - Unpaid Work Placements m Introduction n The increasing prevalence of unpaid work in the Australian workforce THIS PAGE THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF UNPAID WORK IN THE AUSTRALIAN WORKFORCE 4.2 The Fair Work Ombudsman’s (FWO)" report, Experience or Exploitation: The nature, prevalence and regulation of unpaid work experience, internships and trial periods in Australia, found that it is difficult to quantify the actual number of workers undertaking unpaid work. However, despite the lack of reliable statistics, there is reason to believe that unpaid work is becoming more common in Australia, and without proper regulation this trend can be expected to continue, as evidenced in other jurisdictions such as the USA 51: While definitive conclusions cannot be drawn in the absence of reliable statistics, the available evidence … indicates that unpaid work exists on a scale substantial enough to warrant attention as a serious legal, practical and policy challenge in Australia. The report concludes that significant numbers of workers, especially younger workers, are asked to undertake unpaid trials. This conclusion is supported by recent research and studies by others, including the YWLS [Young Workers Legal Service, South Australia] survey, anecdotal reports from individuals made in response to publicity about this project, information from FWO’s investigative files and also reported cases. The indications from the available evidence are that while unpaid trials may be more common in some industries – such as hair and beauty, retail and hospitality – they are in fact to be found across a wide range of industries 52 4.3 The FWO Report states that unpaid internships have been a growth area in both Australia and internationally. The FWO Report notes growing concern about the practice of employers having p rospective employees undertake unpaid trials and performing work that would ordinarily be done by paid employees while the employer determines their suitability 53 4.4 Unions NSW submitted that there is very little concrete data available about how many young people are undertaking unpaid work, what organisations are engaging them and what kind of work they are doing. However, Unions NSW stated that it had heard a great deal of anecdotal evidence that unpaid work is becoming a common experience for young people 54 4.5 Professor Andrew Stewart and Professor Rosemary Owens, authors of the FWO Report, submitted that without proper regulation, unpaid work can become part of an ‘informal economy’, leading to social exclusion for people who do not have the financial means to support themselves while undertaking lengthy periods of unpaid work 55 51 A Stewart & R Owens, 2013, report, Experience or Exploitation: The nature, prevalence and regulation of unpaid work experience, internships and trial periods in Australia – Report for the Fair Work Ombudsman, pp. xi-xxv. 52 A Stewart & R Owens, 2013, report, Experience or Exploitation: The nature, prevalence and regulation of unpaid work experience, internships and trial periods in Australia – Report for the Fair Work Ombudsman, pp. xi-xii. 53 A Stewart & R Owens, 2013, report, Experience or Exploitation: The nature, prevalence and regulation of unpaid work experience, internships and trial periods in Australia – Report for the Fair Work Ombudsman, p. 31. 54 Submission no 14, Unions NSW, p. 6. 55 A Stewart & R Owens, Responses to additional questions, 20 October 2014, p. 4. 56 Fair Work Ombudsman website, viewed 7 November 2014: