Jobs crisis: south coast, Southern Highlands suffer from massive unemployment rates
The state’s south is experiencing an unprecedented unemployment crisis as the number of jobless youth reach 22.8 per cent. But business owners say they can’t find workers.
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Employment in the state’s south is facing a crisis as communities stretching from Sydney’s southwest to Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands are suffering from the worst jobless rates in the state.
NSW Government research has revealed electorates including Wollondilly, Goulburn, Kiama and south coast have almost double the state’s unemployment rate at 8.5 per cent, while also experiencing one of the highest youth unemployment rate at 22.8 per cent.
The data, released this month, also uncovered the participation rate is less than 50 per cent on the south coast.
However, a spokeswoman for Jobs Minister, Stuart Ayres, said the government was injecting $1.7 billion in a regional growth fund to “generate opportunities, investment and jobs”.
“An Illawarra retail assistant program is due to commence in Nowra next week,” she told NewsLocal.
“Regional NSW worked with Regional Development Australia Far South Coast and Training Services NSW to roll out the Shoalhaven STEMship program in Nowra last year.”
However, social demographer Mark McCrindle said suburbs stretching across the south coast have a long history of “failing to engage young people in the workforce”.
“Despite major growth occurring on the south coast, employment catchment and opportunities aren’t increase,” Mr McCrindle said. “The economy is driven by a major tourism industry — meaning work is seasonal and full time roles are less viable for employers.”
Mr McCrindle said vocational education was in demand, but a lack of university choice meant young people leaving school are met with “an extended gap from employment”.
“There needs to be diversity in the local economy — the community need to move on from tourism and retail, and expand employment opportunities,” he said.
The social expert said recent fires that ravaged the south coast would actually result in a “short-term development boom” providing construction jobs to local residents and stimulate the regional economy.
Kiama state Liberal MP, Gareth Ward, said small businesses in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven struggle to find employees to fill jobs.
“As we see industrial land reach a premium in Western Sydney, businesses should come to the south coast because we have all the best facilities for businesses to thrive,” he said.
Mr Ward said his instigation of the infrastructure skills program, rolled out on the Princes Hwy upgrade from Berry to Bomaderry, will provide “training and employment pathways” to women, young people and indigenous Australians in the construction industry.
A total of 47,500 jobs were created across all regional NSW last year, while unemployment in regional towns has fallen to 4.7 per cent overall.
A wide variety of seasonal jobs on the south coast means unemployment statistics change dramatically.