Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News Australia

Unemployment, no simple remedy – the job trap keeping young Aussies from full-time work

byJoe Higgins
7 February 2019 - Updated on 1 April 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA

Worrying trend: “Rather than part-time, or short-term work, being a stepping stone into full-time work, they’re actually getting stuck in that cycle.”

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Worrying trend: “Rather than part-time, or short-term work, being a stepping stone into full-time work, they’re actually getting stuck in that cycle.”

YOUNG people often receive flak for being lazy and glued to their screens instead of joining the work-force – while this may be true for some, the harsh reality for others is much more complex.

The Foundation for Young Australians released a report saying a skills mismatch was at the heart of youth unemployment, an unemployment figure they reported to be at one in three young Australians in some places.

FYA chief executive officer Jan Owen said 70 per cent of young people were learning skills that would be redundant by 2030.

This mismatch between skills supply and demand was one of the most pressing economic challenges facing Australia, she said.

But Vinnies Australia quickly replied on Twitter, saying the issue was far more complex than just a skills mismatch.

Vinnies Australia policy and research director Corinne Dobson said while there were issues around a skills mismatch, the biggest incongruity was between the number of jobs available and the number of people looking for them.

“Particularly entry level jobs, which affects young people who might just be trying to enter the workforce for the first time,” Ms Dobson said.

“It’s just really hard to get a foothold when the job opportunities are just not there.”

But even when jobs were to be had, the quality of the jobs was often called into question.

Ms Dobson said Vinnies Australia put the Catholic social justice teaching at the forefront of their approach to employment.

Related Stories

Social services workers and vulnerable people need ready access to rapid antigen tests, Vinnies says

Brisbane and Gold Coast leaders sleeping on the job to raise money for homeless

Queensland budget gives hope to people in housing crisis

“We shouldn’t be compelling young people to work in forms of employment that is not supporting their dignity,” she said.

“The decline in labour standards and the lack of proper remuneration are all major concerns that we have. 

“From a policy and political level, we would like to be hearing those issues being talked about a lot more in the discussion around jobs.”

Ms Dobson said one of the biggest challenges was “in-work poverty” – that was young people who were employed, but unable to earn enough to make ends meet.

“The notion that a job is the best way out of poverty unfortunately is not always the case,” she said.

“One of the issues we really have, that we’ve seen in countries overseas and it may be becoming more of an issue in Australia, is a cohort of young people who actually get really stuck in getting part-time, insecure, short-term work.

“And they’re cycling between that and unemployment.

“Rather than part-time, or short-term work, being a stepping stone into full-time work, they’re actually getting stuck in that cycle.

“That’s really scarring their future prospects rather than helping them.”

Ms Dobson said unemployment and underemployment was a national issue, but certain areas were more likely to face it than others.

“In some regions it’s a really severe issue where we have really high rates of unemployment, very few job opportunities and a concentration of disadvantage,” she said.

One of these regions was remote Queensland, which had one of the highest rates of youth unemployment, she said.

Another concentrated area of disadvantage was in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and for young people with disabilities, she said.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

What is two times five? Twins phenomenon among the largest ever student intake at St Pius V

Next Post

Heed the call, volunteers needed as housing crisis deepens and costs of living rise

Joe Higgins

Related Posts

Testing woes: Shortages in the supply of rapid antigen tests is causing chaos for people needing a quick test result. Photo: CNS
QLD

Social services workers and vulnerable people need ready access to rapid antigen tests, Vinnies says

5 January 2022
Experience: First time participant and Urban 3mpire CEO Aaron McCauley shared his personal experiences with homelessness on the night.
QLD

Brisbane and Gold Coast leaders sleeping on the job to raise money for homeless

23 June 2021
Hope: St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland chief executive officer Kevin Mercer said crisis accommodation and homelessness support services “have been put under great strain by the worsening affordable housing shortage”.
QLD

Queensland budget gives hope to people in housing crisis

16 June 2021
Next Post

Heed the call, volunteers needed as housing crisis deepens and costs of living rise

Slavery is a reality for millions of people, and Catholic agencies are fighting to end it for good

refugees

Three cases of self harm in two days on Manus Island prompts letter to PNG Prime Minister

Popular News

  • Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Queensland election: The pro-life political parties committed to abortion law reforms

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parishes unite for Logan deanery family festival this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Abdallah family launch forgiveness campaign one year on from crash that killed four children

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies
QLD

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

by Joe Higgins
20 May 2022
0

BRISBANE grandmother Gwendoline Grant has clocked up 15,000 hours cuddling and caring for sick and premature babies...

Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

20 May 2022
Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

19 May 2022
Catholic relationship advisers offer five tips to look after your mental health

Nationwide rosary event happening for Australia’s patroness this Saturday

19 May 2022
Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict

Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict

19 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping