Youth facing worst job market in 40 years

Australia’s young people are facing their toughest jobs market since the 1970s, with a huge percentage now either unemployed or left desperate for more work, effecting their mental health and income.

AUSSIE young people are facing the worst jobs market in more than 40 years.

A whopping 37.8 per cent of Australians aged between 15 and 24 years old are either now out of work or are desperate for more hours, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows.

This is the highest rate since the ABS started tracking the data in 1978.

Overall youth unemployment is at its highest point since July 1997 and 750,000 young workers are employed but have no work hours and are only holding on to their jobs thanks to the Federal Government’s JobKeeper scheme.

Redlands resident Georgia Perrins, 19, had two jobs before the pandemic when one “stopped contacting” her, with the other only restarting her employment partially this week.

The university student, who is now relying on JobKeeper, said without it, life would be “extremely difficult”.

“I found it extremely difficult not having an income before I received JobKeeper,” Ms Perrins told the Courier-Mail.

“I need an income …I still live at home, but with every pay I was receiving, I was paying a chunk of it to my parents to pay off my car and to pay for week to week living expenses”.

It’s gone beyond financial hardships, as Ms Perrins said her, and friends also needing JobKeeper’s mental health has deteriorated, too.

“At the start, I was coping okay with this as I understood why it had to happen, but as time went on my anxiety gradually increased about even just day to day things,” Ms Perrins said.

“Many of my friends rely on having a stable income in order to live, and with them not receiving that, I saw their mental health plummet,

“Like me, my friends are just not their happy cheerful selves they used to be just want to get back to work”.

“Young people are facing conditions that we haven’t seen since the ‘70s,” ACTU President Michele O’Neil said.

“They need support from the government to ensure that they come out of this pandemic with a job ... there is only one job available for every 12 people looking for one”.

Scott Morrison confirmed on Wednesday plans are being drafted for JobKeeper support beyond September, however, has not yet said whether the program will available to all sectors and locations.