Male Labour Market Participation in Australia

Abstract

This paper uses datafrom the Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey and Income Distribution Survey to examine changes in male labour market par ticipation in Australia between 1964 and 1994. Aggregate data show a long-run trend of declining male labour force participation. The decrease in aggregate labour force participation has been primarily due to decreases in participation by older men, men with lower levels of education, and men with potential earnings in the middle ranges of the earnings distribution. Labour market flows data show that the lower rate of male participation has been the consequence of an increase in the rate of inflow to the out-of-labour-force category from unemployment.