Anglicare Australia is today releasing Creating Jobs, Creating Opportunity, which lays out a plan to support people who have been out of work long-term.
Released today, the paper found that:
- Even though unemployment is low, long-term unemployment has barely budged
- 15 people across Australia are competing for each entry-level job
- One in ten don’t have recent experience or qualifications, or they have other barriers to work
- These Australians spend around five years looking for work.
- The entry-level jobs they need are disappearing.
- Government strategies ignore these people, focusing on punishment and mutual obligation instead of building long-term skills.
“Australia’s unemployment numbers are hailed as a triumph. But long-term unemployment is as stubborn as ever,” said Executive Director Kasy Chambers.
“Even in a surging market, the same people are missing out. The right jobs aren’t there for the people who need them, and they are stuck in a system that punishes them instead of helping them.
“The jobs they need – entry-level roles – are disappearing from the job market. No amount of interviews, online tasks, or red tape or punishment will change that fact.
“Governments have shied away from job creation, but we found that the market simply isn’t creating the jobs people need. They should be creating entry-level opportunities in growing industries, like aged and disability care, that can lead to long-term careers.
“We need to overhaul Workforce Australia. This system props up private companies and costs taxpayers millions each year, but it fails at getting people into work.
“Instead we should be helping people build long-term skills instead, making it easier for them to re-train at TAFE or go back to school.
“And we need to lift jobseekers out of poverty. Nobody should be trapped in poverty while they look for work. “The Government has made jobs and skills a priority. Our hope is that they will focus on people who need the most help, instead of leaving them behind,” Ms Chambers said.