WHAT IS – Unemployment

Unemployment is the position people over 15 years old find themselves in when they can’t get jobs, even though they want to work.

To find out how many people in Australia are unemployed, the Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts a survey of households across the country. It’s called the Labor Force Survey.

Each month they ask 65,000 households many questions about their working life. The survey collects data on anyone over the age of 15 years old. Households stay in the survey for eight months at a time.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in March 2009:
• The unemployment rate in Australia was 5.4%.
• About 612,800 people were officially unemployed.
• At the start of this year, 20.6% of Australia’s unemployed people were aged between 15 and 19.

Unemployment is a serious problem in Australia and it is linked to a number of social and economic factors that are happening all around the world.

Making ends meet when you’re unemployed

If you’ve registered with the Centrelink as ‘unemployed and actively looking for work’, you get the benefit of government financial assistance. Your Newstart Allowance is aimed at helping you find a ‘new start’ in a ‘new job’.

If you’re a jobseeker under 21 years old, you might be eligible for Youth Allowance.

The amount you are entitled to will depend on whether you are married, have kids, live at home or need to live away from home. If you are dependent on your parents, the rate of allowance you are entitled to will depend on their income and assets to measure whether they can financially support you.

How the union movement would get things back on track

The Australian union movement is committed to drastically reducing the high number of unemployed people in Australia by creating jobs. It believes the Federal Government should be trying to reduce the unemployment rate to less than 5% of the workforce.