The Brisbane Times: Tough times for young job seekers
Date published :
5
March
2012
Source: The Brisbane Times, March 2, 2012, By Chris Zappone
Eighteen year-old Jessica Rothsay would like a job in
administration. But the Sydney-based teenager, who lives at home
with her parents, says she would be happy with any job in the
current market.
She has applied for "anything and everything" over the past six
months but has not been able to land a position. "I'm starting to
get discouraged because no matter what I do, I can't get a job,"
she says.
Jessica's case illustrates the overlooked area of weakness in
the otherwise relatively robust Australian jobs market.
The long-term unemployment rate for teenagers in Australia is
higher than that of Greece, Portugal, Iceland and the average of
advanced economies, according to a recent analysis of data from the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Yet since the financial crisis began, the plight of youth
unemployment has received less attention from policymakers than the
hard-hit retail and manufacturing sectors.
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