Anglicare Australia is today releasing its annual Jobs Availability Snapshot, showing that Australia’s job market is locking out people who most need a chance to work.
The Snapshot measures how many jobs are available for people who don’t have qualifications or recent experience. It finds that:
- For every entry-level vacancy, there are 39 people on the JobSeeker payment
- Of those, 25 have barriers to work. This is the highest ratio ever recorded by the Snapshot
- Entry-level jobs now make up just 11 percent of all vacancies. This is their lowest share in a decade.
“Each year our Snapshot shows that the job market isn’t creating enough opportunities for people who need them most,” said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers.
“These are older Australians, people with disability, or people who didn’t finish school. They are looking for jobs they can actually do, but those jobs are disappearing.
“For every entry-level vacancy, 39 people are competing. With these odds, even the most determined jobseeker will be left behind.”
Ms Chambers said the findings show the need for urgent reform.
“All of this shows that people are being failed by a system that treats unemployment as a personal fault instead of a policy failure.
“Taxpayers are spending billions of dollars on private employment providers whose business model depends on compliance and punishment. They profit whether or not people find work. Meanwhile, people are stuck in endless appointments and meaningless activities — all while competing for jobs that simply aren’t there.
“It’s time to end this failed experiment. The for-profit model has been running for over twenty years, and long-term unemployment has only grown.
“We also need to raise the rate of Centrelink payments. Nobody should be trapped in poverty when the jobs they are disappearing.
“The people we work with every day are ready to contribute. What they need is a fair go and a system that helps, not hinders, their efforts. When people are given real opportunities and a fair income, they seize them.”