Young Australians tripping up on workforce hurdles

According to new atWork Australia research, only half of young Australians feel confident in achieving their current or future career aspirations.

As of May 2024, the youth unemployment rate is at 9.7 per cent. With the cost-of-living crisis affecting the younger generation just trying to break into the workforce, targeted support and resources are needed to equip young Australians with those foundational skills essential for them to thrive in what is a tumultuous and complex job market.

Young people coming from marginalised communities are already behind the eight ball, with women and members of the Indigenous community facing additional barriers that further exacerbate the challenge of breaking into the workforce.

These additional barriers have proven to be things like systemic inequities, limited access to quality education, lack of training and pervasive social biases.

Recent studies have shown that 37 per cent of women working in predominantly male environments report experiencing gender-based competence challenges. Although the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) gender pay gap reporting attempts to mitigate issues like this, there is still a way to go.

Young workers breaking into the job market have made it clear that their priority is a good salary, a main reason being the cost-of-living crisis. As HR Leader recently reported, three-quarters (75 per cent) of young Aussies are now ranking salary as their top priority, a notable increase from the previous survey, which had the salary listed at only 10 per cent in 2022.

One-third (32 per cent) of the respondents to a Fiverr International survey went as far as saying that they would need to earn more than $100,000 a year to maintain a comfortable standard of living.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that the most common weekly income bracket for young Aussies is between $500 and $999, which accumulates to an annual salary wage of $26,000 to $51,993.

As these financial pressures grow, the situation worsens for young Australians; therefore, the push for resources, education, and awareness around these difficulties is crucial.

Today (15 July) is World Youth Skills Day, which is an opportunity to highlight this very issue, showing the importance of having young people in the workforce, when they have those foundational skills in place.

According to ChildFund Australia, World Youth Skills Day includes raising awareness for “youth facing disadvantage, including girls and young women, young people with disabilities, young people from poorer households, young indigenous people, young people living in rural communities, and those facing violent conflict and political instability”.

“World Youth Skills Day aims to break down the barriers that can prevent some young people from accessing work and to boost productivity and wage levels among youth around the world,” it said.

The overall theme for this year’s World Youth Skills Day is “Youth Skills for Peace and Development”, underscoring the crucial role young people can play in peacebuilding and conflict resolution when they are afforded the opportunity to enter the workforce.

“It highlights the potential of young people as agents of peace and our global commitment to providing them with the skills and opportunities to address challenges and contribute to a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future,” the ChildFund of Australia said.

Once again, especially for those in marginalised communities, targeted support and resources can be the make or break for these individuals, and if Australia wants the workforce to diversify and grow, then ensuring these opportunities to build those foundational skills are available is imperative.