Six Principles to Tackle Long-Term Unemployment

Employment experts and Not for Profits have claimed that creating a specialist approach for young people with complex needs is required to tackle Australia’s unemployment.

The Employment Dialogue, held by Social Ventures Australia, Mission Australia and Brotherhood of St Laurence, sought the insights of leaders across government, business  and the social purpose sector, looking specifically at innovative approaches to tackling long-term unemployment in a changing job market.

In the Communiqué emerging from the Dialogue, six principles were identified as critical to solving Australia’s long-term unemployment challenge.

Executive Director of Employment at SVA, Kevin Robbie, said currently only around seven per cent of employers were using the government funded employment system, meaning large numbers of entry-level jobs and career paths were inaccessible for disadvantaged jobseekers.

At the same time 41 per cent of employers reported difficulties filling jobs.

“We need to look seriously at systems change if we are to see real and lasting progress in enabling people to have the opportunity and skills to participate in meaningful employment,” Robbie said.

“We hope the ideas developed from the Employment Dialogue will inspire new practice and energise new partnerships to this end.”

The Employment Dialogue identified six principles that will be critical in designing a system that creates sustainable employment for people in a rapidly changing environment. Those six principles are:

1. A specialist approach for young people with complex needs

2. Better, earlier and more comprehensive careers education

3. Connecting education and training to sustainable jobs

4. Scaling effective cross-sector collaborations and partnerships

5. Creating local solutions with national employers

6. Local solutions for local communities

“Unemployment for the majority of young people is not driven from a lack of desire or aspiration. It is linked to the fact that some young people have very specific and complex needs and there is a distinct lack of support within Australia’s employment system,” the communique said.

“Greater emphasis is also needed to ensure young people are equipped and have the appropriate skills within a changing economy, particularly in relation to the knowledge and service industries.

“Working with young people to understand their individual barriers to the job market is crucial. Through taking a ‘preventative’ approach we need to prepare young people more effectively for work through the reform of careers education.

“In providing a ‘cure’ for those already experiencing long-term unemployment we need to invest in evidence based interventions to support young people back into work. This will help them gain skills and confidence needed to find and keep a job.”

The full communique can be found here.