The Death of Lifelong Employment

Being a young person is difficult.

From leaving school and becoming a member of adult society and to attempting to find your place in the world, to battling a multitude of insecurities and the seemingly perpetual existential crises that come with facing our fear of rejection, on almost all aspects of the adult playing field.

It can be overwhelming when the ‘simplest’ of things to accomplish — such as learning to cook and clean, to paying bills and finding a job — require a major behavioural adjustment.

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I remember being 18, opening up my emails and seeing the one thing that I’d been waiting for since I’d started my VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education). With a subject heading ‘Congratulations’ or something similar, I was so overjoyed as I quickly opened the email from a prestigious university.

My dream was here.

I couldn’t believe that I’d gotten in (and secretly I felt like I really didn’t deserve it). Although as excited as I was, self-doubt and the logistical nightmare of living two hours away from campus, started to sink in...

I’d applied for financial assistance through Youth Allowance weeks before and been knocked back on account of my parents earning too much. I was living in a share house and barely skimming by with the little money my parents could contribute towards rent, bills and food.

We weren’t rich. We lived in a small country town. I went to a public school.

My mum was a part-time nurse and my dad a full-time tradesman. We weren’t wealthy but we were comfortable.

However, my search for ‘independence’ was stretching the comfort very thin. Quite quickly it became obvious that I would either have to find a job or move home.

With my independence hanging in the balance, I made the decision to try and find work, on top of 12 hours on campus, 16 hours of travelling and 25 hours of home study.

What followed were some of the hardest months I’ve ever experienced.

After six months of job hunting, I landed a contract of 14 hours per week. Just enough to pay rent, bills and cook some beans.

Working whilst studying is not a rarity. I’m no snowflake. Unemployment and underemployment are huge issues for young people, all over Australia:

— Young people now account for approximately 15% of the workforce compared to 25% in the early 1980s.

— The nature of young people’s employment has also changed: more than half now work part-time, an increase from the 15% seen in the early 1980s.

— Overall, around 55% of young workers were engaged in casual work in 2017.

— The increase in young part-time workers is partially associated with an increase in 15–24-year-olds studying full-time. Full-time employment for youths has decreased by nearly 20% in the last decade alone. 2

So, why has employment changed for young people?

A 2016 study by Bishop, Gustaffson and Plumb found evidence suggesting that since the 90s, businesses have responded to changes within the economy by changing the hours worked by their employees, rather than the number of employees.

Matthew, a 20-year-old from regional Victoria, is well-versed in the fluctuation of hours during the course of a financial year, saying the highest amount of hours he would be given was 15–20 hours, to the lowest of three hours a week.

“Around $50… not even enough to fill up my car”, he remarked in our conversation.

Matthew says that the inconsistency of wage from week-to-week “can be very stressful”.

Ann is a 22-year-old casual worker, who says that she’s been asking her employer for a part-time contract for two years. Ann describes the situation as “a constant change in management”.

When asked about her average hours, Ann stated;

“It varies from week to week, which I don’t mind if one week I’m doing 20 and then the next I’m doing 15. What is really frustrating though, is whenever management changes, my hours are cut right back as I’m more expensive because of my age. So, I’m constantly having to fight to prove that I’m an asset, just to get the hours I need to survive. At the start, I loved the casual pay rate, but now all I want is a minimum amount of hours that I can bank on… I don’t care if it’s three hours a week, I just want some consistency”.

Shaun 23, says, he’s been looking for work for over a year after his workplace shut down.

Studying in Melbourne, Shaun said he “just wanted some casual work on the side”.

Although highly qualified for retail, with four years in a supervisory role and a Certificate IV in Business, he said that, “The hardest part is [that] most places who are looking for casual workers want people still in school, not a 23-year-old who is studying and is going to cost them $25 an hour over $19 an hour”.

There is a belief that the transition from consistent full-time employment to casual/part-time employment contracts is due to a range of factors, including the increased cost of hiring and training employees.

According to Labour Outcomes For Younger People (2018), underemployed young people have a preference to work an additional 11 hours on average each week.

Let’s look at the underemployment of young people who have completed their studies.

According to Labour Outcomes, “The rise in underemployment over the past decade is consistent with the increase of 20–24-year-olds who are working part-time and not studying. In part, this may reflect that the transition process between tertiary education and full-time employment has slowed”.

Statistics from the 1990s demonstrate that 80% of Bachelor degree graduates (available for full-time work) were able to secure a job within four months.

Statistics from 2018 show 70% of graduates (available for full-time work) secured employment after the same period, and 20% of graduates that were working part-time were seeking more hours.

While dealing with the evolving workplace may be tough, remember, you’re not the only person facing these changes — don’t give up!

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Here are some suggestions to help get you to where you want to be:

Endeavour to meet new people.

A lot of job opportunities come through networking. This can be done by joining an established group in your community and doing something that you’re interested in. You can start putting the word out that you’re looking for work, plus you might also make some new friends.

Be innovative.

If you have a particular skill or passion, do some research and see whether you can turn your idea in to a small business or an additional income stream.

Upskill.

Do a short course or a workshop (it doesn’t have to be a university degree). Any skill will add value to your employability and your personal development.

1 www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Lookup/6291.0.55.001Main+Features1Nov%202016?OpenDocument

2 www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2018/jun/labour-marketoutcomes-for-younger-people.html

3 Bishop J, L Gustafsson and M Plumb (2016), ‘Jobs or Hours? Cyclical Labour Market Adjustment in Australia’, RBA Research Discussion Paper No 2016-06.