A lack of suitable jobs and a trend towards insecure work is locking hundreds of thousands of people in poverty, according to a new report. Source: The Guardian.
Anglicare’s annual Jobs Snapshot found that of the 26 people out of work for each entry-level position in Australia, 18 are technically “long-term” unemployed, meaning they have been out of the workforce for more than 12 months.
By comparing data on the number of people with barriers to work with the number of suitable job advertisements in the sample month of August, the report found the odds heavily stacked against those who haven’t finished year 12, older workers trying to stay in employment after losing their jobs, people with disability or mothers short on skills after raising their kids.
“Our snapshot shows that almost 560,000 Australians in this situation are looking for work,” Anglicare’s executive director, Kasy Chambers, said. “They are long-term unemployed, and they are being left behind each year.
“They need entry-level jobs to get their feet on the ladder, but there aren’t enough to meet demand in any part of the country.
“For each entry-level role, 26 people are looking for work. People with barriers to work barely stand a chance.”
Since June 2022, Australia’s unemployment rate has hovered between 3.4 per cent and 3.7 per cent, with under-employment sitting around 6.4 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
While unemployment has fallen, the number of Australians with barriers to work has barely shifted in eight years, the report found.
FULL STORY
There are 26 jobseekers for every entry-level position in Australia, report finds (By Cait Kelly, The Guardian)
