Anglicare Australia today called on the government to take urgent action to create stable, paid jobs following the release the 2017 Jobs Availability Snapshot.
The findings from the Snapshot show that only 15 percent of all advertised jobs in May 2017 were at the entry-level. That same month 711,000 people were unemployed, including 124,000 job-seekers who are only qualified for entry-level roles.
Executive Director of Anglicare Australia Kasy Chambers said that a new approach was needed to help people find stable work.
“We’ve always known that the job market is tough for people without qualifications or experience to draw on. Our research shows that five of these job-seekers are competing for each entry-level job – and that entry-level jobs have been disappearing over the last ten years,” Ms Chambers said.
“Not only are they competing with each other for these diminishing jobs, but they are also competing with more highly-skilled job-seekers.
“Those who do find a job end up in unstable roles. We found that 1.1 million were underemployed – up from 875,200 in last year’s report.
“This shows that cracking down on welfare and forcing people to jump through hoops simply hasn’t worked. Instead of helping people find work, they are forced to compete for jobs that simply aren’t there.
“But there is hope, and opportunity. With the disability and aged care sectors set to grow across Australia, we can create stable jobs and career pathways for those who need them. We can offer tailored support and training for those who need it. And we can redesign the support system so that it’s a safety net – not a poverty trap.
“We will not get anywhere until we start helping people, instead of punishing them.”
The Jobs Availability Snapshot found that:
– Over 711,000 people are unemployed
– Over 1.12 million people are underemployed
– More than 124,000 job seekers are only qualified for entry-level jobs
– Of the 171,544 job vacancies advertised, less than 26,000 (15 percent) were entry-level jobs
– Entry-level jobs are drying up. In 2006 nearly 22 percent of all vacancies were at the entry level, compared to 15 percent this year
– Across Australia, there are nearly five job-seekers competing for every entry-level job
Click here to download the report.
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