Youth unemployment rates in the New England and North-West region are alarmingly high, according to a report released this week.
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The region - including Armidale, Moree, Tamworth, and Tenterfield - is one of NSW's five worst youth unemployment hotspots, and the 20th worst in the country, according to the Brotherhood of St Laurence's Smashing the Avocado Debate.
14.3 per cent of youths in the region are unemployed, compared to a national youth unemployment rate of 11.2 per cent, and a state rate of 10.1 per cent.
The report is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, using the 12-month average to December 2018.
A breakdown by town is not available at time of going to press.
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The region's youth unemployment rate rose from 13.8 per cent in 2014 to 16.2 per cent in 2015, reaching its peak of 18.1 per cent in 2016, then the ninth worst in the country. While it decreased to 16.6 per cent in 2018, and continues to fall, such high figures are cause for concern.
The report also showed that an estimated 75,300 young people aged 15 to 24 were unemployed in NSW in December 2018. The worst region was the Coffs Harbour - Grafton region, with 23.3 per cent unemployed.
"There is a ‘prosperity deficit’ in many of our regions and outer suburbs," Brotherhood spokeswoman Farah Farouque said. "The data - and the Brotherhood's practical experience - shows where you live defines your life chances on many indicators, including youth unemployment."
The report finds that across Australia the youth unemployment rate is stagnating at the levels seen in the early 2000s, despite 28 years of economic growth.
The 11.2% national youth unemployment rate is more than twice Australia’s overall unemployment rate (5%), at December 2018, and almost three times the unemployment rate of those aged 25 and over. Across Australia, this translates to a quarter of a million young people who are still unemployed.
"The world of work has profoundly changed, particularly for young people," Ms Farouque said. "The certainties their parents and grandparents' generation took for granted has changed, even on the farms. Once upon a time, there were many more entry-level jobs on farms, but due to automation of many of those functions, those jobs aren't available.
"Navigating the world of work is much harder, if you don't have skills, qualifications, and parental networks to tap into, particularly for early school-leavers or those who don't train at high levels. Hence you find many young people in regional areas moving to the city."
While some old jobs have disappeared, new ones are appearing, such as in health or aged care. "If you can connect young people to these booming areas and sectors, there are new opportunities for them," Ms Farouque said.
Investing in local communities, and drawing on its strength, was necessary to lower unemployment rates. Council and local employers were, Ms Farouque said, absolutely key to finding the solution for youth unemployment. Good public transport would also help young people find jobs; many may not have a car or licence, limiting their opportunities.
"Harnessing the local community effort is vital to tackle youth unemployment," Ms Farouque said.
In the lead-up to a federal election, the Brotherhood’s executive director, Conny Lenneberg, challenged policymakers to give Australia’s young people a fair go, including advancing solutions for the unprecedented challenges the emerging generation faces in the world of work in the 21st century.
“Young people come out of education and training with high hopes and aspirations for independence," Ms Lenneberg said. "It’s devastating that despite 28 years of continuous economic growth, too many young Australians are locked out of the prosperity dividend.”
Ms Lenneberg said the latest “hotspots” revelation smashed stereotypes about young people, and called for a more sophisticated public debate about the emerging generation’s challenges.
“These figures belie stereotypes about young people. We know from our research and the experience of our services that many young people are doing it tough,” she said. “Yet young people are too often depicted in simplistic terms of consumers of overpriced smashed-avocado toast with a fascination for selfies, and that’s plain wrong.”
The Brotherhood’s report says young Australians are moving into adulthood while the nation is also navigating a period of testing social and economic change due to the interconnected challenges posed by globalisation, technology, climate change, and demographic change.
“We remain especially concerned at how young people without qualifications and skills or family networks are tracking in this rapidly changing economic and social environment,” Ms Lenneberg said.
“To secure the future labour force and create opportunities for decent work, we need structural solutions that drill down to local job markets and infrastructure challenges.
“We also know from our practical experience that all young jobseekers in Australia need to have access to a specialist youth employment service, a one-stop-shop dedicated to their needs, whereas currently we still have a fragmented response to employment services for young people.”
The Transition to Work service (offered in New England) is limited to some 15- to 21-year-olds, but not all young jobseekers are eligible or referred to it.
"Transition to Work is excellent because it works exclusively with young people rather than a range of age groups; it’s voluntary; and it's embedded in the local community," Ms Farouque said. "Its success really demonstrates how hungry young Australians are for opportunity."
The Brotherhood of St Laurence believes the Transition to Work model should be upgraded and expanded to all young job hunters aged 15 to 25.
