The Ecology of Job-Finding in Australia.

Although studies of the labour market have concentrated on employment and unemployment, there have been few Australian studies of job search experiences. This study focused on the methods used by people to obtain jobs. It examined the hypothesis that informal job-seeking methods are more likely to lead to employment and that most jobs are obtained without prior knowledge of the vacancy. The data for the study were derived from the Australian Bureau of Statistics' monthly labour force survey of households (published and unpublished data). In the 12 months from July 1985 to June 1986, some 1.6 million individuals had started a new job. At least 29 percent of the jobs resulted from approaches made without prior knowledge that the job was available. Friends and relatives accounted for some 17 percent of placements, and in 20 percent of cases, the employer approached the job seeker, bringing the proportion of informal methods to at least 66 percent. There were statistically significant differences between employed and unemployed job seekers in approaches to or from employers. Occupational, age, and seasonal differences also were evident. (Author)