Do Casual Workers Find Permanent Full‐Time Employment? Evidence from the Australian Youth Survey

The growth of casual employment in Australia is sometimes viewed with concern. Such ‘non‐standard’ forms of employment are often associated with intermittent labour force attachment, underemployment and low income. In this paper, we use data from the Australian Youth Survey to analyze the transition from casual work to full‐time permanent jobs. In the short term, gender, employer‐provided training and the receipt of government benefits are among the more important factors affecting the transition. However, these factors are less important in the long term. Overall, the results suggest that casual employment may be more of a ‘stepping stone’ than a ‘dead‐end’.