According to the latest ABS figures, there are now more than 230,000 unemployed Australians between the age of 15-24, some 50,000 more than 10 years ago.
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This is 230,000 young Australians who have been short-changed by rigid and antiquated system and programs. There is now a real risk, that in the near future, we will see more than a quarter of a million 15-24 year olds claiming unemployment benefits each year unless we have a focus attention on this issue. Despite the strength of the NSW economy, there are still over 60,000 unemployed young jobseekers in this state alone. This figure is disappointing given the long running and well publicized concerns of employers in most industry sectors regarding skill shortages and the fact that there are some 67,000 recorded job vacancies, 25,000 of which only require a Certificate 1, II or III (without work experience) and/or the completion of secondary education.
That’s why the state’s peak non-government business organisation, the NSW Business Chamber, has recommended in a submission to the Australian Government, a greater focus on measures that enable an integrated transition from school to the workforce.
Our submission, on behalf of our 20,000 businesses, calls for employment programs like jobactive to extend incentives for service providers to collaborate with schools, the business community and careers advises in preparing students for employment.
The delivery model for all users (job seekers, employment service providers and employers) needs to drive confidence that the program is going to successfully deliver job-ready and engaged job seekers in sustainable employment.
Our education system, both the federal and state level employment programs, and the business community need to work far more collaboratively to provide the training and incentives necessary to tackle what is now a youth unemployment crisis.
Students and parents need more up to date information on employment trends and career opportunities, and in particular, guidance on industry trends aligned to student interests and capabilities. Young job seekers, as a specific cohort, have particular needs that may be most usefully addressed by targeted pre-vocational training and development programs.
Although it takes a full community to raise a child, tackling youth unemployment by improving the performance of our education systems and employment programs must at its core.
Joe Townsend is the NSW Business Chamber Regional Manager.
