Firm Size and Employer-Sponsored Training in Australia

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between employer size and job training. Data from the 2001 wave of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Survey of Education and Training were used to estimate the probability that workers would receive employer-sponsored inhouse, external, and/or on-the-job training. The results show an increasing probability of inhouse training as employer size increases, while workers employed in the smallest firms are more likely to receive external rather than in-house training. Findings also show that workers—especially unionized workers—in larger firms are substantially more likely to receive on-the-job training than workers in smaller firms.