The number of young Australians who are unemployed for longer than a year – referred to as long-term unemployment – has more than tripled since 2008. The alarming new analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today by welfare group the Brotherhood of St Laurence reveals more than 50,000 people aged between 15 and 24 nationwide have now been on the unemployment treadmill for more than 52 weeks. Unemployment is increasingly far from a passing phase for many young people, the report, On the treadmill: young and long-term unemployed in Australia, found. ”The experience of being young and unemployed in Australia has painfully changed. More than 18 per cent of the overall 257,000 unemployed young people in Australia are now consigned to the long-term unemployment queue,” said Brotherhood of St Laurence executive director Tony Nicholson. ”There is now an overwhelming and urgent need to do more to secure the future for a new generation. As parents, communities and as a nation, we need to act now to tackle the crisis of youth joblessness and restore hope.” The unemployment rate nationally among those aged 15 to 24 was 12.5 per cent at March 2014 – more than double the overall rate of unemployment. But the Brotherhood’s research shows that a rapidly rising unemployment rate is only half the story about young people who are jobless. It’s also taking them a much longer time to find work.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Over 50,000 young Australians now classified as long-term unemployed: report – Brotherhood of St Laurence.
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