Supporting people to secure paid employment

For many struggling to get by on income support, a decent job is a life-changing pathway out of poverty and financial insecurity.

Right now, there are millions of people struggling to get by on the punishingly low JobSeeker rate. Many of them, including older workers, people with disabilities, and parents with young children, are languishing on JobSeeker long-term due to a lack of appropriate entry-level jobs and inadequate training and support.

To make matters worse, instead of supporting people to find paid work, we’re making their lives harder with harsh payment compliance arrangements, unreasonable job search requirements, and penalties for minor infractions like missing an appointment with their employment service provider.

If we’re going to ensure that everyone who needs a job can find one, we need a government that will change its approach, be more proactive in creating jobs where they are needed, and genuinely support people to transition into secure suitable paid work or appropriate training.

That’s why we’re calling on all parties and candidates to commit to introducing a Jobs and Training Guarantee to provide targeted support for people without paid work for over a year and replacing harsh compliance arrangements with a strengths-based approach.

Our key asks

  • Sustained full employment, where the vast majority of people can obtain employment or the extra paid working hours they need.
  • Introduce a flexible Jobs and Training Guarantee for people unemployed long-term, comprising of either subsidised temporary employment, substantial further education or training, or other help to connect them directly to suitable jobs.
  • Ease harsh unemployment payment compliance arrangements, including automated payment suspensions, excessive activity requirements, and a lack of discretion for employment service providers and Services Australia to withhold penalties.
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Genuine ‘full employment’ means that most people who need a job can find one, including people employers are often reluctant to hire due to their age or other reasons.

If unemployment falls below 4% and stays at that level (as estimated in the Budget), that should make it easier for people out of paid work to find a job.

But those left behind will not have real employment opportunities until unemployment has been low for an extended period, and they receive much better employment services, training, and access to paid work experience in regular jobs where they can demonstrate their skills and abilities.

That’s why we need a new approach: the next government must ensure that unemployment stays low and genuinely support people to transition into secure suitable paid work or appropriate training.

Jobs and training guarantee 

To support people who are out of paid work long-term to transition into employment, we propose a flexible, community and employer-driven Jobs and Training Guarantee. The scheme should be offered to young people who are on unemployment payments for over 12 months and others on those payments for over 24 months. The guarantee would comprise subsidised paid work experience, vocational and foundational education and training, and/or other assistance to connect people directly to a suitable job and would be offered in each year of long-term unemployment.

Ease harsh compliance arrangements 

As COVID restrictions have been eased, the previous harsh compliance system has returned. Requirements have not been modified to take account of people’s fear of COVID infection and diminished employment opportunities, especially in regions with few vacancies. This led to the re-emergence of wide-spread payment suspensions, even after a two-day delay for suspensions was introduced in December 2020. Payment suspensions cause distress and are counterproductive while people are looking for paid work.

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