Talking point: Through no fault of their own Kym Goodes, CEO August 23, 2016, The Mercury Newspaper More than 16,000 Tasmanians are waking up every morning wondering whether they will get the call today, whether they will get an interview, whether there will be a job for which they can apply. Every day their confidence drops as they struggle in a situation not of their making. We all know people, young people, university graduates, middle-aged friends who have been looking for work and cannot find it or are making ends meet with one or two casual jobs in shops and cafes. There are over 16,000 Tasmanians looking for work in a job market that in an average month has 2000 vacancies – 2000 jobs and more than 16,000 people. The situation is even worse for our young people. One in six Tasmanians between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed. That is an entire generation of young people looking for work that does not exist. In some areas over 20 per cent of our young people are looking for work – the highest in the nation. One in five Tasmanian children grow up in a jobless home. Growing up with no concept of work in their daily life, no conversations around the dinner table of their parent’s day at work, the routine or culture of work. The unemployment problem is not a personal one, it is structural, societal and economic. And it is global. The global economic crisis has caused a drop in demand for employees at the same time that technology is now doing the jobs people used to do. This is likely to continue well into the future. Blaming individuals for being unable to secure work has to stop – remember, 16,000 people looking and 2000 jobs. Every month when the labour market figures are released, the Tasmanian Government tells us in a media release that the unemployment rate has improved since they were elected and acknowledges there are still challenges ahead. This is not your average challenge, this is a crisis facing our state. Taking a leadership approach, setting budget priorities, presenting a vision and working with our best minds to find opportunities takes strength of government. The Government saw traffic flow on Macquarie St as serious enough to warrant a crisis taskforce. How about one on getting Tasmanians in work? Bring together innovators in the community sector, business and government, and people affected by unemployment.
Focus those people on one question – how to make Tasmania a place where jobs and entrepreneurship are part of our culture and future. By designing the right conditions, entrepreneurship can become the path to job creation in the economy. The Government has multiple plans, strategies and funds that directly or indirectly relate to jobs, skills, population growth and economic development, and a Coordinator General trying to secure investment. What we do not have is vision, an overarching, targeted approach to jobs creation and retention of existing jobs. In NSW, the Jobs Action Plan is managed by an independent board made up of the best minds, entrepreneurs and others, with a goal of jobs creation and government investment to match. They have consolidated strategies, departments and funds, and have a focus – to create thousands of jobs and ensure people are skilled and ready to take up the opportunity. An approach that looks at trends in employment growth will provide Tasmania with options, ideas and capacity. We can create a culture of entrepreneurialism, develop skills and provide access to capital for self-employment, including social capital. There are many ideas around the world and in our own communities for creating new businesses and new jobs. Others are doing it, they are way ahead of us. It is time we joined them and caught up. The times we live in demand new responses. We cannot keep doing things the old way. We need to open ourselves to creative solutions, try things, and be prepared to fail and learn. If we are to stop losing a generation of Tasmanian young people to unemployment, we need to work together. It is time for the Tasmanian Government to live by the promise the Premier made on election night 2014 when he said: “Tasmanians have voted for change – a business-as-usual approach is not acceptable. We will be a different government and we will confront those difficult issues no matter what the challenge ahead of us.” TasCOSS is just one of many who want to help you do that Premier so we can get more Tasmanians into work, but you and your Government must be open to taking action now and doing things differently.