Ballarat’s youth unemployment rate is lower than the state average, but has slightly increased.
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In the 12 months to December 2018, the average unemployment rate for 15 to 24-year-olds in Ballarat was 10.1 per cent.
In 2017, the rate was 6.6 per cent, the second lowest in Australia.
The Victorian average is 11.4 per cent, and Bendigo, which has a rate of 18.3 per cent, has the highest in Victoria.
Unemployment, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, requires a person to be not working and actively looking for work, ready to begin within four weeks, while there are also individuals who are “marginally attached”, or not working and do not report looking for a job.
This could include people who are too old or young to work, ill health, or people who perceive a lack of jobs in their area.
The number of of people marginally attached in regional areas is far higher than in metropolitan areas, and that number is higher than those unemployed.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence, which collated the statistics from the monthly Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey, said this was concerning.
“This means that while recent reductions in youth unemployment rates in many areas of Australia are certainly positive, we should also be concerned about those who are wanting or intending to work, even if not they do not meet the strict definition of unemployment,” a report reads.
The organisation is calling for “structural solutions” to solve these problems, utilising the expertise of local providers and not-for-profit groups to help young people transition into the workforce.
This is an idea supported by local agencies - GForce is a service in Ballarat and Geelong, and employment service contracts manager Greg Haynes said tailored programs made the biggest difference.
“There’s so much opportunity in Victoria, there’s a lot of jobs that need to be filled - (but) youth unemployment is still a pretty significant challenge in Australia, especially in regional and outlying areas,” he said.
“It boils down to targeted and individualised support, for example, we do transition to work, which is about the individual and doesn’t have compliance measures.”
The difference between Ballarat and Bendigo’s unemployment rates could have something to do with the local economies, but also the population demographics.
“Ballarat does have quite a significant number of people over 55, so proportionately there’s less young people looking for work,” he said.
“You do have employers looking for people, who are more likely to employ young people, they’re more likely to be represented in job applications.”
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