In 2002, the Australian Government Productivity Commission
estimated there were approximately 270,000 people employed through
labour hire, which was the equivalent to about 2.9 per cent of all
employed persons.1 Today, labour hire industries
continue to employ a few hundred thousand people, equal to about 2
percent of the workforce.2 It is estimated there
are approximately 5,800 labour hire businesses in Australia,
generating $18.5 billion in revenue and distributing approximately
$12.7 billion in wages.3
Despite the fact that use of labour hire has remained steady
over the past decade, and continues to generate many hundreds of
thousands of jobs, the spotlight has been cast upon labour hire
firms in the last few years. But has it gone too far?
