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'Non-traditional work is defined as any form of paid work which differs from the notional benchmark of continuing employment in someone else's business.' This paper considers the following forms of non-traditional work: casual employees; fixed-term employees; labour hire employees; and self-employed contractors. It assesses the recent prevalence, growth and characteristics of non-traditional work, examines the role played by this type of work when transitions between different labour market states occur, and considers the importance of non-traditional work for family income. The key points include: approximately one third of all employed people were engaged in non-traditional work in 2004; casual employment is the largest non-traditional form of employment; there are significant differences between non-traditional workers; non-traditional work is mostly a temporary or transitory experience, except for a few groups of casual employees, such as women with children; and for one in four families, non-traditional work is the main source of wage income. The contents are: Overview; Introduction; Identifying non-traditional workers; What are the reasons for the existence of non-traditional work?; Characteristics of non-traditional work; The role of non-traditional work in labour market transitions; Casual employment: stepping stone or trap?; The contribution of non-traditional work to family income; Summary and conclusions. Included as appendices are: Calculating the prevalence of non-traditional work; Detailed data on non-traditional work; Modelling transitions from casual employment.