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Our call for system shake-up at Workforce Australia hearing
Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson will present a new roadmap to address the nation’s entrenched long term unemployment and challenge the systemic barriers to people entering the workforce, when he addresses the Federal Parliamentary hearing into Workforce Australia on Wednesday 1 February.
Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson will present a new roadmap to address the nation’s entrenched long term unemployment and challenge the systemic barriers to people entering the workforce, when he addresses the Federal Parliamentary hearing into Workforce Australia on Wednesday 1 February.
The House Select Committee has invited Mr Glasson to speak at its Perth sitting this week, to outline the research and human-centred design innovation undertaken by Anglicare WA to uncover new pathways into employment for the long-term jobless.
“Western Australian employers are crying out for staff, and people facing the biggest barriers to finding work are desperate for an opportunity to show what they can do,” said Mr Glasson.
“It’s easy to look at the current jobs data and conclude that anyone who wants a job can get one if they just put in a bit of effort. That’s an understandable - but very simplistic view.
“In reality, there simply aren’t enough genuine entry-level pathways for those who have limited education or experience.”
Each year, Anglicare Australia conducts the Jobs Availability Snapshot. The report compares the number of entry-level jobs with the number of jobseekers with significant barriers to workforce entry.
The 2022 Snapshot, released in December, found for every entry-level job in WA, there are 15 potential applicants. Of those, three face significant hurdles to employment. This includes older workers unemployed later in life, people with disability, and young people without training or further education.
“The data shows the same cohort of people still remain locked out of the jobs market - just as they have been for years” Mr Glasson said.
“The longer someone is out of work, the harder it is to find work, let alone secure stable, sustainable employment.
“This will not change unless we shake-up the existing system. We need genuine entry-level pathways to employment to enable people to find and keep their jobs. The only way to do that is through concerted initiatives to remove those barriers consistently preventing them from entering the workforce. “
Mr Glasson said while those pathways will take time to create, in the meantime we need to focus on getting people ready to enter the workforce.
“The more people we can upskill, the greater the chances they will find sustainable employment. The State Government’s investment in free and reduced-fee TAFE and vocational training placements is a significant step-forward in moving West Australians out of entrenched unemployment.”
Other recommendations include permanently increasing the Jobseeker rate and income threshold, replacing automated mutual obligation arrangements, reviewing education funding, and reforming national childcare funding,
Mr Glasson will address the Select Committee’s public hearing at the Duxton Hotel on Wednesday February 1 at 8:15am.
Implementing human-centred approaches
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Review JobSeeker classification to better reflect the circumstances, and therefore needs, of those seeking employment.
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Ensure human-centred design and lived experience consultation is embedded into each stage of the Workforce Australia system.
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Explore, support and take on board learning from trials that seek to implement tailored solutions for those with high barriers to employment.
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Replace harsh compliance regime that job seekers are forced to endure with support for meaningful training and genuine pathways to employment.
Increasing supply and accessibility of entry level work
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Invest in entry-level job creation.
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Abandon harsh, automated mutual obligation arrangements.
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Work with Workforce Australia providers and people with lived experience to develop tailored and person-centred long-term work placements and supported training.
Reducing disadvantage
Education, training and digital poverty
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Work with industry to provide subsidies for digital devices.
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Facilitate access to low-cost broadband for low-income households.
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Review education and training funding models to allow for equitable access to subsidies for students at lower education levels.
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Reform national childcare funding to ensure access to high quality early childhood education and care for low income households.
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Prioritise availability of care in regional areas.
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Invest in childcare job creation as part of a broad workforce development strategy.
Economic fairness and justice
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Increase the income test threshold for JobSeeker and other income support recipients to allow people to earn more before losing access to benefits, similar to recent changes to the Age Pension.
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Permanently increase the rate of JobSeeker and other working age income support payments to above the poverty line.
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Establish the minimum wage as a living wage and link future increases to the Consumer Price Index.
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