There’s been something of a jobs boom in recent times, but too many older Australian are being left out in the cold. That’s the conclusion of a new report released by social advocacy group Anglicare Australia.
The organisation’s 2022 Jobs Availability Snapshot finds that older people are among several groups being left out of the jobs boom.
Executive director Kasy Chambers says the system is failing those who need the most help to find work – older workers who lost their jobs later in life, people with disabilities and those who didn’t finish year 12.
“The jobs market isn’t working for everyone,” she says. “It’s failing those who need the most help to find work – people applying for entry-level work. Our research shows that for every entry-level vacancy, there are 15 people looking for work.”
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The odds against older Australians looking for work, Ms Chambers says, are stacked even higher.
“Older people face even tougher odds. Age discrimination and the demand for advanced skills make it hard to compete,” she says. “This problem is getting worse. Mature-age workers now make up 52 per cent of people on the JobSeeker payment, and research shows that it takes them much longer to find work.”
In a bid to encourage more pensioners back into the workforce, the federal government bumped up the Work Bonus balance limit from $7800 to $11,800. However, this incentive came into effect only on 1 December, so its effect on older Australians looking for work, if any, will not be visible in Anglicare’s new report, which draws data mainly from before July this year.
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Regardless, Ms Chambers says, such an incentive may not work if entry-level jobs are not made available to those pensioners.
“We must overhaul Workforce Australia,” she says. “It’s taking an average of five years to find work for those who need the most help – and it’s likely to take much longer for older people.
“We need to create entry-level jobs for people who need them. That will allow older people to start again, and give them a pathway to a secure career.”
Ms Chambers says many Australians are unaware of the number of older Australians hampered by a JobSeeker rate that she believes is too low.
“Many people believe that JobSeeker is a payment for younger people, but that’s a myth. Our snapshot shows that the number of older people on the payment is growing every year. Instead of preparing to retire, too many people are spending their later years in poverty.”
First introduced in 2016, the latest edition of the Jobs Availability Snapshot is its seventh iteration. In its conclusion, this year’s report says it’s clear the job market is leaving behind those in greatest need of secure work, including older Australians.
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“These issues have not crept up on Australians out of the blue,” the report concludes, pointing the finger at successive governments. “Each year, the Jobs Availability Snapshot has documented the consistent shortfall of jobs for people facing the greatest barriers to work. Nor has this happened by accident. It has happened because governments have allowed it.”
Ms Chambers is calling on the current federal government to do more for older Australians, starting with changes to mutual obligation rules and JobSeeker rates.
“We need to abandon the cruel, pointless changes of recent years,” she says. “People over 55 are no longer allowed to meet their mutual obligation requirements with volunteering. That rule doesn’t help anybody and must be reversed. And if we want to stop people from retiring into poverty, then we must raise the rate of JobSeeker.
“These changes are urgent. If we don’t fix this broken system, we will be forcing people to spend their older years in poverty.”
The 2022 Jobs Availability Snapshot is available through the Anglicare website.
What’s your experience of trying to find work as an older person? Do you think more needs to be done to assist those looking for employment? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?
