Superannuation for contractors: An analysis of the Australian performing arts industry

Abstract

The dataset is comprised of performing artists and their associated support workers in the Australian performing arts industry. The data was collected to analyse the community understanding and payment of superannuation to self-employed contractors (sole traders). There 18 questions in total that range from demographic characteristics to questions related to precarious employment, and questions regarding superannuation. There are 16 closed questions and two free text questions. There was a total of 133 survey views, of which 98 progressed beyond the implied consent section. The majority of respondents completed the survey; there were 81 usable sole trader responses, and 6 responses that traded under another entity – these respondents were immediately directed to the free-text questions at the end of the survey. The data was used for descriptive statistics and relationship analysis. The data was collected via an online survey (Qualtrics) from 15 October 2020 to 11 January 2021 and is stored in a .csv file. Below is the abstract from the research paper:

The Australian performing arts industry includes a high proportion of sole traders working as self-employed contractors. The Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 contains specific provisions for contractors employed predominantly for their labour, and performing artists and their associated support workers. This paper addresses the current gap in research surrounding superannuation for contractors by quantifying both the understanding of these requirements and the number of workers receiving payments within the industry. Using a mixed-methods analysis of primary data collected via an online survey, the paper identifies the self-employed contractor in the performing arts industry as a precarious worker and makes a number of significant findings. Quantitative analysis finds only moderate levels of superannuation awareness and two-thirds of eligible respondents not receiving superannuation payments. Positive correlations with education, self-research, community discussion and union membership are also found. Qualitative analysis finds a broad range of attitudes toward superannuation for contractors and a wide-ranging level of knowledge, where information is obtained from multiple sources within a complex and competitive labour market. The paper argues that the level of awareness and underpayment of superannuation are linked to this precarious form of work and are symptoms of Australia's evolving employment relations framework.