Multiple job holding: interpreting economic, social and labour market

change in Ashburton District

Nicola RobertsonTaylor Baines and Associates

Harvey PerkinsLincoln University

Nick TaylorTaylor Baines and Associates

www.tba.co.nzWe gratefully acknowledge funding support from the Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences

programme for the development of the paper which led to this presentation. The research was funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology.

Content of presentation Data on multiple job holding by settlement type,

New Zealand, 1981-2001 The research area, Ashburton District Data on multiple job holding by area unit, Ashburton

District, 1981-2001 Case study interviews and research issues Qualitative data BRCSS, building my research capacity

New Zealand multiple job holding rate by settlement type

1981 1991 2001 Main urban area 3.9 6.2 8.2 Satellite urban area 4.0 6.4 8.7 Independent urban 4.0 7.1 9.2 Rural – high urban influence 7.3 12.2 19.6 Rural – moderate urban influence 6.3 12.0 20.6 Predominately rural 5.8 12.3 20.3 Highly rural/remote 5.4 12.0 20.3 All types 4.2 7.2 10.2

Work, employment and rural social and economic relations

Research in the early 1990s showed pluriactivity was a common economic strategy for farm households looking to diversify their sources of income

Farm men and women worked off farm and in alternative enterprises, there was an increase in part-time work

The additional income helped to defend farm equity and provide greater opportunity for retirement and succession

Our research now shows multiple job holding amongst farmers is more established as a long-term feature of farm households than supposed by observers (including ourselves!) in the aftermath of the 1980s "farm crisis"

Ashburton District in Canterbury District is undergoing major

economic and labour market change

Shortage of skilled labour is resulting in a more ethnically diverse population

Dairying has transformed the previously mixed farming distrcit (increase 100,000 cows 1990-2003)

Methven: dual economy of farming and tourism (based around skiing at Mt Hutt)

District multiple job holding rates by area units

Area units 1981 1991 2001 Ashburton (6 area units) 2.4 – 5.1 6.2 – 8.8 6.2 – 11.2 Methven 5.1 9.2 13 Rakaia 6.3 7.4 9.5 Fairton 8.7 11.3 15.1 Plains Railway 9.5 13.7 22.4 Mt Somers 4.3 11.5 23.5 Hinds 6.1 12.7 24.8 Chertsey 4.1 13.1 20.8

Case study in-depth interviews A purposive sample of multiple job holders: 60 men and

women for each of six sectors across New Zealand People were identified through directories, local contacts and

snow balling Interviewees were selected if they had more than one job in

the course of the most recent week A schedule of closed and open ended questions took between

60 and 90 minutes to complete (interviews conducted by Nicola Robertson)

This presentation focuses on the 96 interviews in the Ashburton District: 59 farming sector, 25 accommodation sector, and 12 accounting sector

Research issues Some interviewees did not consider they were

multiple job holders Particularly if all their jobs were in the same

sector (like farming) E.g. Farmer, Seed Company Manager, and

Director Others did not initially consider work done on the

farm as a second job E.g. Teacher and Farmer

Multiple job holding is well established in all three sectors

Small accommodation sector 92% had held more than one job in previous years

Farming sector 80% had held more than one job in previous years

Accounting sector 67% had held more than one job in previous years

Overall Respondents stayed within natural resource communities for

seasonal work and as the labour market changed

The economic downturn as a stimulus for multiple job holding

During the 1980s many women within the Ashburton District sought off-farm employment when their family farms became economically unviable

Professional women, like teachers and nurses, in particular returned to the paid workforce

E.g. Cathy, aged 58, worked 72 hours, as a farmer and nurse. She resumed her nursing career 21 years ago during the farming recession to boost household income. However, paid work for women at the time was seen as socially unacceptable and the attitudes of neighbours caused Cathy distress

Multiple job holding of younger farmers

21% of all respondents were aged 30-39 years Younger farmers used multiple job holding as a

strategy to secure an economically viable farm unit or for long term capital growth

E.g. Tony, aged 39, worked 35 hours farming and 28 hours as a wool assessor. He does the latter to buy the other shareholders out of the farm. Tony takes no farm drawings

Multiple job holding towards retirement

42% of respondents were aged 50-69 years 25% of respondents used multiple job holding as a strategy

towards retirement, particularly in the accommodation sector Accommodation Sector

Multiple job holding allowed for a flexible lifestyle whilst earning income from the accommodation business

40% were planning for retirement and 22% had just retired from a long term job

E.g. Harold, aged 59, worked 30 hours as a real estate consultant and 20 hours as a Bed and Breakfast Co-owner. He said, “[I] can slide into middle/old age and keep the jobs”. Harold intends doing both jobs until he retires

Why hold multiple jobs?

Many people are involved in multiple job holding because they want to, not because they have to, compared to the 1980s and the period of rural restructuring 65% wanted another job/s 23% both wanted and had to have another job/s 6% said they had to have multiple jobs

91% of all respondents described having more than one job as positive

The benefits of holding multiple jobs

Include: 96% variation and stimulation of the work 81% level of income obtained 79% social contact and making friends 68% helps build work experience 61% security of income 60% keeps my “hand in” my main occupation

Some research conclusions Since rural restructuring of the 1980s the labour market has

seen more casualisation and flexible work patterns People have coped with changing rural social and economic

conditions by adopting a strategy of multiple job holding to earn desired incomes and have satisfying work

Multiple job holding in Ashburton District allows people to move from the “full-time” standard working week to organise their personal and working lives in their rural communities

For the majority interviewed, multiple job holding is a positive choice rather than an economic necessity

The steady increase in multiple job holding rates in the Ashburton District since 1981 reflects new economic and social arrangements in a diversified and multifunctional rural district based around seasonal work

BRCSS: building research capacity Opportunity to further analyse existing multiple job holding

data research and other TBA projects in Ashburton District Read theoretical literature to understand the context of the

multiple job holding project better (previously I had just conducted interviews and written working papers for TBA)

Technologically become more profficient by using PowerPoint and a USB drive for the first time last year

Gained skills in academic authorship by presenting my first international conference paper (IAG, Melbourne, July 2007)

Co-authored (with Harvey and Nick) my first peer reviewed journal article, awaiting publication with Sociologia Ruralis

Professional development at gatherings like this have helped me as a rural based sociologist