If you’ve found yourself unemployed amid the coronavirus pandemic and are having a rough as guts time trying to find work, it’s probably not your fault because a new study has found there are as many as 106 job seekers for every job.
The study, conducted by Anglicare Australia, found that for every entry-level job in the country, there could be as many as 106 jobseekers waiting to apply. To put it simply, this is probably why everyone is finding it so bloody hard to find work right now (so don’t be too hard on yourself).
While the study sucks for everyone out of work, it’s particularly damning for people with barriers to the workforce, like elderly workers, mothers, people with disabilities or even people who dropped out of uni.
Basically, the pandemic has forced so many skilled workers out of work, and now those people are snapping up jobs they’re over-qualified for, leaving unskilled workers out in the cold. This is bad for everyone, because skilled workers are likely taking a hefty pay cut, while everyone else is left un-, or underemployed.
“If we’re serious about helping people, we need to create jobs that match their skills – instead of forcing them to compete for jobs that just aren’t there,” Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers (not to be confused with musician Kasey Chambers) said.
Just to paint a bit of a picture for you, Australia Post recently announced they were hiring 1,000 casual positions. Do you want to know how many applications they received? 50,000. FIFTY. THOUSAND. For a casual job.
Interestingly, the news comes after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg defended his decision to axe JobKeeper and lower JobSeeker, promoting a jobs-focused reboot of the economy, so, uhh, where the hell are these jobs?
Here’s hoping in the weeks and months to come we see more jobs actually created out of the Federal Budget. But if you’re having a really hard time finding work right now, just know that it’s probably not your fault at all.
If you’re in need of assistance, Beyond Blue’s Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service is free for all Australians 24/7. You can visit the website here or call 1800 512 348.
