improving the employment prospects of young people · is the “9 to 5” job a thing of the past?...

Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch

Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business

June 2019

Improving the employment prospects of young people

A resource for career practitioners

The labour market is evolving…

Structural change

Technological advances

Social and demographic change

Globalisation

Some jobs are disappearing as a result of technology…• Switchboard operators, typists and milkmen

Some jobs have grown due to social and demographic change…• Aged and disabled care workers, fitness instructors, baristas and chefs

And new jobs are being created due to technology advances…• 3D printing designers, cyber security engineers and big data analysts

Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, June 2019Source: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Australian Jobs 2019

Is the “9 to 5” job a thing of the past?

• Increased flexibility as the new normal

• Rising self-employment, contract work, project work and entrepreneurship

• Holding a portfolio of jobs is becoming more common

• Increasing job mobility and multiple career changes

• Lifelong learning is essential and not optional

…and the way we work is also changing

More than 1 million Australians now hold a secondary job

Source: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Australian Jobs 2019; Mark McCrindle, The ABC of XYZ, 2014; ABS, Labour Account Australia, Quarterly Experimental Estimates, December 2018

Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, June 2019

AptitudeWhat are they good at:• Numbers?• Words?• Working with their hands?• Working with people?

Interests & passionWhat are their interests and what will motivate them to go to work?

Work preferencesDo they want to work outdoors or inside?Do they want to work with people or with computers?

Life goalsWhat do they want out of life?Do they want to travel?Is family important?

Choosing a path is becoming more complex for students

Training requirementsFor this career, do they need VET or university qualifications, or on-the-job training?


2.4% employment growth

Arrows indicate change since March 2014.Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, March 2019, trend data; Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, vacancy report, March 2019, trend data

5.0% unemployment rate

30,400more internet

vacancies than 2014

The Australian labour market is doing well

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

Mar-2014 Mar-2015 Mar-2016 Mar-2017 Mar-2018 Mar-2019

2.4%

4.5%

5.0%

5.5%

6.0%

6.5%


5.0%

0.5%

5.8%

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

200,000


177,600

147,200


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

Feb-2009 Feb-2010 Feb-2011 Feb-2012 Feb-2013 Feb-2014 Feb-2015 Feb-2016 Feb-2017 Feb-2018 Feb-2019

But youth unemployment is a persistent challenge…

Unemployment rates, Australia, February 2019

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, February 2019, seasonally adjusted data and 12-month averages

15-24 Year Olds

All persons

11.1%

4.9%


Source: ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 2016

…and many young people are not working nor studying

18-24 year olds

8% 7%9% 8% 8%

11%

21%

4%8%

5%5%

7%6% 7%

7%

8%

3%

6%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

NSW VIC QLD SA WA TAS NT ACT Australia

Not studying and not looking for work

Not studying and looking for work


There are resources to help students find pathways to employment

Future Outlook on joboutlook.gov.au


https://joboutlook.gov.au/


Insights on jobjumpstart.gov.au

There are resources to help students find pathways to employment


https://www.jobjumpstart.gov.au/


Things have changed in the last 10 yearsEmployed persons (‘000), selected industries, Australia

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, quarterly data, February 2019, trend data

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

Feb-2009 Feb-2010 Feb-2011 Feb-2012 Feb-2013 Feb-2014 Feb-2015 Feb-2016 Feb-2017 Feb-2018 Feb-2019

Emp

loye

d p

erso

ns

(‘0

00

)

Health Care and Social Assistance

Construction

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Manufacturing


Professional occupations have accounted for most growth in the last 10 years

Proportion of jobs growth February 2009 to February 2019, Australia

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, quarterly data, February 2019, 12-month averages

Professionals, 42%

Community and Personal Service

Workers, 21%

Managers, 10%

Technicians and Trades Workers, 8%

Machinery Operators and Drivers, 6%

Clerical and Administrative Workers, 5%

Sales Workers, 5% Labourers, 3%


Currently, services industries are the largest employers…

Proportion of total employment by industry, Australia, as at February 2019

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, quarterly data, February 2019, 12-month average

Service industry

Producing industry

7%

8%

9%

9%

10%

13%

Manufacturing

Education and Training

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Construction

Retail Trade

Health Care and Social Assistance


Producing industries

16%

Services industries84%

…and most new jobs will also be inservices industries

Employment projections, five years to May 2023, Australia

Source: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, industry projections, five years to May 2023

Health Care+ 250,300

Education+ 113,000

Professional Services+ 106,600

Construction+ 118,800

Manufacturing+ 8,500


The jobs market in Australia is competitiveVacancies advertised on the internet or in a newspaper

On average,

3 applicantsare interviewed

On average,

19 applicantsper vacancy

16 not interviewed

Source: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Survey of Employers Recruitment Experiences, 2018Department of Employment, Skills,

Small and Family Business, June 2019

So, what are employers looking for?

Study has become increasingly important and Year 12 or equivalent is now the minimum standard

Is vital

Education & training

Many Australian employers want new staff to have experience

Is necessary

Experience

Employers want the RIGHT MATCH for their job/company/product/service

Distinguish the individual

Employability skills

Source: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Survey of Employers Recruitment Experiences, 2018Department of Employment, Skills,

Small and Family Business, June 2019

4.6%5.0% 5.2%

7.6%

17.5%

15.0%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

Bachelor Degreeor Higher

AdvancedDiploma/Diploma

Cert III/IV Year 12 Below Year 12with Cert I/II

Below Year 12

Source: ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 2016

Completing a qualification is vitalUnemployment rate for 25 – 34 year olds, Australia

First targetStudents should

aim to be here

or equivalent


Sources: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, skill level projections, five years to May 2023

Employment growth is in jobs requiring post-school study

95

100

105

110

115

120

125

130

May

-08

May

-09

May

-10

May

-11

May

-12

May

-13

May

-14

May

-15

May

-16

May

-17

May

-18

May

-19

May

-20

May

-21

May

-22

May

-23

Indexed change in persons employed by skill level

Higher skilled jobs (skill level 1-3) Lower skilled jobs (skill level 5)

91% of all new jobs will require VET or university qualifications


275,800

163,000

2007 2017

186,700

288,000

2007 2017

In recent times, there has been a significant shift away from VET…

Source: NCVER, Apprentices and Trainees, 2018; Department of Education, uCube, 2018

Undergraduate commencements

Apprentice and trainee commencements

+54%-41%


77.3% 77.3%

91.2%

All VET graduates In a non-trade occupation course In a trade occupation course

…but VET has good employment outcomes…

Source: NCVER, VET Student Outcomes, 2018; Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, skill shortages research (based on a set of around 70 consistently assessed occupations)

93% of technician and trade occupations are in national shortage

% employed after graduation

Total VET graduates

Training was part of an apprenticeship or traineeship


…and has competitive salaries for graduates

Source: QILT, Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2018; NCVER, VET Student Outcomes, 2018

$50,500

$60,000$61,000

$65,000

Certificate III Diploma Bachelor Degree Certificate IV

Median annual income of recent graduates employed full-time, 2018

VET

University


Young people also need work experience

Shows willingness to work

Provides opportunities to develop skills

Improves confidence

Gives insight into different jobs

Provides contacts and referees


How can young people get experience and make contacts?

Part-time jobsWork

experience

Internships Sports Clubs

Volunteering


Qualifications and experience are only part of the story

Source: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, 2010;Burning Glass Technologies, all jobs, November 2018 to April 2019; Foundation for Young Australians, The New Basics, April 2016

72% of employers place at least as much emphasis, if not more, on employability skills than they do

on technical skills

Essential employability skills:

Communication & teamwork skills

Interpersonal & people skills

Creativity & problem solving

Adaptability & resilience

Reliability & motivation

Critical thinking

Digital literacy

More than 30% of all online job ads list Communicationas an essential skill


Encourage students to approach employers directly –1 in 5 jobs aren’t advertised!

Facebook jobs groupsmay exist in your local

area – remind students to take advantage of new

platforms!

For example…Australian JobSearch,

Career One, Seek, Jora, Indeed

How employers recruited in Australia, 2018

Note: Employers can select multiple methods of recruitmentSource: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, 2018

55%

13% 13% 11%15%

32%

Recruitmentwebsites/job boards

Company websites Social Media Newspaper Recruitmentagency/jobactive

Word ofmouth/approached

applicant


Start with a good résumé and application…

1. Show relevant experience and skills

2. Keep it simple and short

3. Check spelling and grammar

Plan ahead and be ready for the interview…

1. Dress appropriately and be on time

2. Prepare work examples – use the STAR method

S• Situation – describe the event or situation you were in

T• Task – explain the task you had to complete

A• Action – describe how you completed the task in detail

R• Result – share the result of your work and its impact

Applying for jobs is a skill that needs to be learned and practised


A final thought…

Source: ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 2006 and 2016

Occupations where male employment has

increased:

• Early Childhood Teachers

• Midwives

• Physiotherapists

• Registered Nurses

• Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

Occupations where female employment has

increased:

• Aircraft Maintenance Engineers

• Architects and Landscape Architects

• Bakers and Pastrycooks

• Butchers

• Dentists

Think outside the boxAnd tailor career advice to each student’s strengths and abilities


Tools to assistWebsites

Publications

joboutlook.gov.au/

jobjumpstart.gov.au/

australianjobs.jobs.gov.au




https://australianjobs.jobs.gov.au/

improving the employment prospects of young people · is the “9 to 5” job a thing of the past?...

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