But one segment of the working population is seeing a glimmer of hope
Australian businesses shed an estimated 113,000 jobs in late September – with the shrinking market reportedly affecting older workers more severely.
Overall, the number of jobs across the country declined 0.9% in the fortnight ending 3 October, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The downturn can be seen across all age groups – except among workers under 20. Jobs available to this younger demographic rose 2.8% over the two weeks ending 3 October and has been increasing 6.1% since mid-March.
In contrast, the number of vacancies open to other segments of the labour force have fallen since government lockdowns began about seven months ago:
The trend suggests employers have been recruiting a greater number of workers under 20 even before the Morrison government unveiled fresh incentives under the $4bn JobMaker scheme.
Read more: 2020 Budget: Are older workers being left out?
But the programme has also come under fire in recent weeks: the government focus on getting younger workers employed – in an economy still reeling from the pandemic – would purportedly edge out those aged 35+ who are vying for the same employment opportunities.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, however, reassured older workers of continued support. “We’ve got a series of other programs. This should not be seen in isolation from the broader context of measures that we’ve undertaken,” he said.
Before the COVID-19 crisis, workers aged 20 to 49 filled 65% of jobs. In the recent analysis, however, positions occupied by this group fell by about 1% across the country.
“Nationally, payroll jobs remain 4.1% lower than mid-March; 7.7% lower in Victoria and 2.8% lower in the rest of Australia,” said Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS.
Read more: JobKeeper 2.0: What employers need to know
The decline also coincided with the government decision to cut wage subsidies under the JobKeeper programme – from $1,500 to $1,200 for full-time workers and $1,500 to $750 for part-time workers.
“What we’re seeing in the figures is primarily JobKeeper-related,” said Angela Jackson, lead economist at Equity Economics, in a report on The New Daily.
“It’s people who were considered employed under JobKeeper but, now JobKeeper has [been reduced], they’ve effectively lost their jobs,” she said.
