More than half of the Australian population—53% or 12.5 million people—are aged between 25
and 64 (ABS 2014a). The term ‘working age’ implies a focus on the labour force. While this article does
look at the ‘working’ component—namely labour force participation, employment, unemployment
and underemployment—its intent is to present an overall picture of the characteristics that define
this population as they move through various life-course pathways. To this end, we will also examine
factors such as education, family formation and re–formation, and home ownership.