It’s not hard to see that the job market will be changed because of COVID. But for the last 5 years, half of the unemployed are under the age of 25. The transition from studying to stable work can be difficult or evening finding the right career to do after school has become challenging because of the lack of options.

Mainstream media has often said that this generation/millennials don’t have the work ethic as Australians did 20 years ago. The situation is quite not like that when it comes to the actual reports. The Brotherhood of St Laurence reported that 1 in 9 people aged 15-to-24 are unemployed altogether and 1 in 5 are juggling multiple jobs on a casual basis. There has also been a 50% reduction in the number of entry-level jobs since 2006.

It appears that the job market has limited the choice for full-time positions and others just can’t find a job in the field of choice or education. Now, employers are looking for the best of the best. The candidate that will stand out the most will have volunteer experience, education beyond high school like the VET or TAFE course, or even some marketing companies are not hiring interns unless they have done personal marketing of themselves on blogs, Tiktok or Clubhouse.

28.2% of graduates report they don’t use their skills and education in their current role.

33% of unemployed young Australians believe they lacked the right education to obtain work.

Source: www.fya.org.au/

While the lack of full-time employment among young Australians is a cause for concern, 9-5 work does not appeal to millennials because of the stimulation from the digital world. Employers will also need to change their offer given their employees more benefits and flexible working conditions.

When we surveyed our WAYS Secondary and WAYS Youth Training students, here is what we found:

1. 1in 5 would not take the job unless they knew more about the benefits. The pay was not a big factor for them, but they wanted to know what other benefits they get.
2. 1 in 7 said that they wouldn’t take the job if the pay was less than they were getting at their retail and fast food job
3. 1 in 3 said that they noticed that the questions that they are asked are are you interested in educating yourself further.
4. 1 in 10 said that they have been asked, have done any volunteer work.
5. 1 in 5 said that they prefer casual/contractor work over full-time employment because of the flexibility.
6. 1 in 4 said that assess the location for the job. Most of them do not have cars, so they need to ensure that it is near public transport or bus service.

WAYS Youth Training is a specialised RTO (Registered Training Organisation) that has delivered nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training Qualifications to young people aged 15-25 since 2009 and can be an alternative pathway to further education. Please email [email protected] for more information or visit our website to see the current scope of courses. 

WAYS also has a Youth Committee and Drop-in room that requires young people to volunteer to run events and open days. If you are interested in volunteering, please email [email protected] .