ABSTRACT
The majority of young full-time school, vocational education and university students internationally work part-time while they are studying. Student working is likely to continue as a mass phenomenon, partly because students need jobs. The part-time jobs that young people do are sometimes depicted as being menial and their employers as exploitative. The retail and hospitality industries, in which the majority of young people work, form the largest sector of Australia's economy, contributing almost 15 per cent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Even in workplaces with good policies and procedures, there are certain sectoral characteristics that create risk. Much literature on the work-related aspects of student worker jobs comes from the disciplines of industrial relations and sociology. The researchers also read induction materials and manuals. Although some student workers remained with the organizations for some time, their loyalty' sometimes more closely resembled inertia than an active commitment.
