Hundreds of thousands of Australians are desperately looking for work — here are three of their stories
3 years, 3 months ago

Hundreds of thousands of Australians are desperately looking for work — here are three of their stories

ABC  

Searching for a job after redundancy can be soul-destroying, but it becomes crippling when you're presented with further hurdles to finding work — sometimes outside of your control. "Walking into an interview and knowing straight-up, from the look on people's faces, that I have no chance of getting that job," the 62-year-old says. A government spokesperson told us they expect employment providers to "help job seekers get into work as contracted" and may sanction those that fail to meet this obligation. The government says voluntary work is a way for "job seekers to gain and maintain personal and workplace skills and continued connection with the community". You could say casual worker Steven found a "dead end" job — but he's perfectly happy with it.

Job Jobs Work Help Steven Photo Job Seekers Seekers Centrelink Jennifer Weir Desperately Looking  hundreds  centrelink  rate  thousands  desperately  looking  australians  seekers  unemployment  recruitment  work  jobs  help  look  job

History of this topic

Australia's unemployment rate falls to 3.9pc in November, its lowest level since March
1 week, 5 days ago

Australia's unemployment rate falls to 3.9pc in November, its lowest level since March

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate fell to 3.9 per cent in November, down from 4.1 per cent in October. "The only downside to Australia's remarkably strong job market is that any hope of a near-term interest rate cut is over," said Callam Pickering, APAC economist at global job site Indeed. "Today's blockbuster November employment report seemingly pushes back — yet again — …

Economists warn unemployment rate could rise above 5 per cent, with hundreds of applications for individual jobs
5 months ago

Economists warn unemployment rate could rise above 5 per cent, with hundreds of applications for individual jobs

ABC  

While the jobless rate has been slowly creeping higher, alarm bells are ringing about the potential for a big surge in unemployment. Dr Chapman warned there was a risk Australia's unemployment rate could peak above 5 per cent, which is well above current forecasts, by the end of next year. Jobless rate acceleration a matter of time The obvious question …

Unemployment edges up despite more than 50,000 extra jobs amid population and participation growth
5 months ago

Unemployment edges up despite more than 50,000 extra jobs amid population and participation growth

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate has continued to edge higher, despite the creation of about 50,000, mostly full-time, jobs. "The participation rate in June was only 0.1 percentage point lower than the historical high of 67.0 per cent in November 2023," he noted. "This, along with the continued high level of job vacancies, suggests the labour market remains relatively tight, despite the …

Australia's unemployment rate rises to 4.1 per cent in April
7 months, 1 week ago

Australia's unemployment rate rises to 4.1 per cent in April

ABC  

Australia's headline unemployment rate rose to 4.1 per cent in April, up 0.2 percentage points from March. "This suggests that the labour market remains tight, though less tight than late 2022 and early 2023," said Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics. "The bank will therefore be pleased that overall hours worked fell by 0.8 per cent year-on-year, the first …

Jeremy Hunt tells unemployed Brits there is 'ample opportunity' to find jobs with 900,000 vacancies unfilled - as government targets benefits claimants and 'sicknote' culture
7 months, 1 week ago

Jeremy Hunt tells unemployed Brits there is 'ample opportunity' to find jobs with 900,000 vacancies unfilled - as government targets benefits claimants and 'sicknote' culture

Daily Mail  

Ministers today urged the unemployed to step up efforts insisting there is 'ample opportunity' for them to find jobs. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride acknowledged that 'times have undeniably been tough over the last few years', with the impact of Covid and the Ukraine war. But the pair pointed out there are still nearly 900,000 …

Economists want more unemployment. But do they care how the jobless will be treated?
1 year, 5 months ago

Economists want more unemployment. But do they care how the jobless will be treated?

ABC  

Are too many people employed right now? When "full employment" was introduced to Australia by the Curtin and Chifley Labor governments, by the 1945 White Paper on Full Employment, they created a new labour market institution to support it. The logic of market competition Now, things changed for the CES when Australia's government abandoned full employment as official policy in …

The jobs market is strong for now, but unemployment will be the last indicator of recession
1 year, 6 months ago

The jobs market is strong for now, but unemployment will be the last indicator of recession

ABC  

The latest unemployment numbers had a lot of us scratching our heads — economists, journalists, financial traders, possibly even the statisticians themselves. After more than a year of interest rate rises at the fastest pace in recent history, all while Australians hold more debt than they ever have before, employers added close to 76,000 extra staff pushing unemployment back down …

Long-term unemployment is falling rapidly, and it's changing lives
2 years, 4 months ago

Long-term unemployment is falling rapidly, and it's changing lives

ABC  

The labour market hasn't been this tight in decades. In October last year, when the national unemployment rate was still 5.2 per cent, there were 183,400 people in long-term unemployment. But the unemployment rate is now 3.4 per cent, a level last seen in the early 1970s, and the number of people in long-term unemployment has dropped by 55,500. Well, …

Unemployment may soon dip below 3 per cent and is set to stay below 5 per cent for years to come
2 years, 4 months ago

Unemployment may soon dip below 3 per cent and is set to stay below 5 per cent for years to come

ABC  

Unfathomably, Australia's unemployment rate has sunk to 3.5 per cent. In the years before COVID, typically 3 per cent of the workforce worked less than usual hours in any given week as a result of illness or injury. In the half century we have been collecting modern employment statistics, unemployment has shot up dramatically three times: in the mid-1970s, when …

One unemployed person per vacant job: Has Australia finally hit full employment?
2 years, 5 months ago

One unemployed person per vacant job: Has Australia finally hit full employment?

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate is 3.5 per cent, and it hasn't been this low since August 1974. But even accounting for those realities, he said full employment would see far more people in jobs than existed in the wasteful inter-war years, when 10 per cent of the workforce was frequently without work. But a few years later, after full employment had …

Have closed borders pushed Australia’s unemployment rate down? This model shows they have
2 years, 10 months ago

Have closed borders pushed Australia’s unemployment rate down? This model shows they have

ABC  

Have our closed international borders helped to drive the unemployment rate down? We have to engage with the labour force framework Whenever we talk about the "unemployment rate", we must engage with the labour force framework that produces the number. Embedded in the concept of the "working-age population" and how it's linked to the "labour force" and how the labour …

MYEFO is forecasting a long-awaited rise in wages, but it doesn't mean it will happen
3 years ago

MYEFO is forecasting a long-awaited rise in wages, but it doesn't mean it will happen

ABC  

As New York Yankees catcher and amateur philosopher Yogi Berra once noted: "It's tough making predictions, especially about the future." Almost two years on from that fateful night — which preceded a global pandemic, the worst recession in nearly a century and a $311 billion Commonwealth stimulus package — there is still no surplus in sight, with ongoing deficits adding …

Why doesn't the unemployment rate make sense? Because it's not designed for you
3 years, 2 months ago

Why doesn't the unemployment rate make sense? Because it's not designed for you

ABC  

When you hear people talking about the unemployment rate, does the number ever make sense to you? Don't job seekers want to know how many jobs are actually available at the moment, and how many people are competing for each job? Don't they want to know how long it's taking to find a job in the current labour market? Now, …

Unemployment falls again to 4.5pc, but hours worked paints the true picture of lockdown
3 years, 3 months ago

Unemployment falls again to 4.5pc, but hours worked paints the true picture of lockdown

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate has dropped again, to the lowest level in almost 13 years, but a steep fall in hours worked last month paints a more accurate picture of the economic pain resulting from COVID lockdowns. Key points: Unemployment fell from 4.6 to 4.5 per cent, even though 146,300 jobs were lost in August Hours worked nationally fell by 3.7 …

Unemployment rate dropped early in lockdown as people gave up looking for work, data reveals
3 years, 4 months ago

Unemployment rate dropped early in lockdown as people gave up looking for work, data reveals

ABC  

Australia's official unemployment rate dropped early on in the latest round of lockdowns, as the number of people looking for work fell. Key points: Unemployment fell to 4.6 per cent last month, from 4.9 per cent in June The unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since December 2008 The ABS says a huge fall in labour force participation …

Australia's unemployment rate falls below 5 per cent for the first time in 10 years
3 years, 5 months ago

Australia's unemployment rate falls below 5 per cent for the first time in 10 years

ABC  

With the unemployment rate hitting its lowest level in a decade, you would expect the federal government to be celebrating loudly. Key points: Unemployment rate falls to 4.9 per cent, from 5.1 per cent It's the lowest unemployment rate in a decade The lockdowns in New South Wales will impact the jobs data in coming months But Prime Minister Scott …

We should thank the unemployed for their service. They've been used to control inflation
3 years, 5 months ago

We should thank the unemployed for their service. They've been used to control inflation

ABC  

I want to show you something. Well, if the unemployment rate starts declining, and their model's telling them it's very close to, or has fallen below, the presumed "natural" level, they'll lift interest rates to "take some heat out" of the economy. By preventing the unemployment rate from falling below its presumed "natural" level, they've been using hundreds of thousands …

Unemployment below pre-pandemic levels as jobs surge resumes. Will wages rise?
3 years, 6 months ago

Unemployment below pre-pandemic levels as jobs surge resumes. Will wages rise?

ABC  

From fears of mass unemployment to worries about labour shortages, Australia's jobs market has staged a dramatic turnaround since the COVID-19 pandemic hit our shores. Key points: Unemployment falls from 5.5 to 5.1 per cent An estimated 115,200 jobs were added, the vast majority full-time The underemployment rate also fell from 7.8 to 7.4 per cent, a seven-year low For …

Reserve Bank and Treasury admit 'full employment' is not what they thought it was. And it's held the country back
3 years, 7 months ago

Reserve Bank and Treasury admit 'full employment' is not what they thought it was. And it's held the country back

ABC  

When a glacier shifts a few inches, a gigantic movement has still occurred. It said its model had been showing that, in the five years prior to last year's recession, Australia's economy would be close to "full employment" when the unemployment rate was roughly 5 per cent. He said Australia could have an unemployment rate of 4 per cent "tomorrow" …

Unemployment rate still falling as COVID economic recovery continues
3 years, 8 months ago

Unemployment rate still falling as COVID economic recovery continues

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate has continued to fall, and it is women leading the jobs recovery. Key points: The unemployment rate fell from 5.8pc in February to 5.6pc in March Unemployment is now just 0.4 of a percentage point higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared These ABS numbers relate to employment over the first two weeks of …

Unemployment doesn't look so bad at 6.9pc, but the reality for job seekers is far grimmer
4 years, 2 months ago

Unemployment doesn't look so bad at 6.9pc, but the reality for job seekers is far grimmer

ABC  

Economics and history student Jushina Choudary is worried about how she'll get her first professional job when she graduates from the University of Sydney in a few months. Key points: The official estimate of unemployed people has increased by nearly a third over the past year to 937,400 ABS data show the unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of …

Unemployment rate falls but job seekers say finding work is still 'really hard'
4 years, 3 months ago

Unemployment rate falls but job seekers say finding work is still 'really hard'

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate is falling, but those without work say it is not getting any easier to find a job, especially in locked-down Victoria. Key points: The official ABS unemployment rate has fallen from 7.5 per cent in July to 6.8 per cent in August The percentage of underemployed people, who wanted to work more hours than they did, remained …

Unemployment edges up despite massive coronavirus jobs bounce-back
4 years, 4 months ago

Unemployment edges up despite massive coronavirus jobs bounce-back

ABC  

The job creation headline was strong, with almost 115,000 new positions being filled last month, but finding work remains a hard slog for Liesl Filippi. Key points: Unemployment was expected to jump from 7.4 to 7.8 per cent, but only rose to 7.5 per cent Hours worked rose by 1.3 per cent as 43,500 full-time jobs were added, and 71,200 …

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