Work Watch | March 2023

Executive Summary

Workskil Australia conducts quarterly analysis of all its registered job seekers, many of whom are disadvantaged. This snapshot highlights a number of key insights into where they are finding employment and the specific challenges they face in their journey to employment.

The Workskil Australia Work Watch March 2023 Quarter report provides a unique insight into the jobs market and the prospects for some of the nation’s most vulnerable job seekers.

Key observations include:

• The Trades and Services industry is by far the largest employer of unemployed job seekers, representing one-in-three placements during the March quarter.

• Strong residential home and infrastructure activity saw the share of new builder’s labourer jobs rise to 12.7% (up from 10.2% in December 2022 and 5.2% in March 2022).

• New Hospitality & Tourism and Retail roles fell as cost of living pressures mount and reflect cyclical post-Christmas factors.

• These contrasting industry movements are contributing to the gender employment divide given the persistence of work role stereotypes across the various industries.

• From the age of 30, women (both First Nations and Non-First Nations) are more likely to rely upon unemployment benefits than men.

• First Nations Australians represent 3.8% of Australia’s population but 20% of the number of people who receive unemployment benefits. This highlights significant over-

representation of First Nations peoples struggling to find work and reliant upon Government support.

• 11% of the job seekers who gained employment are from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

• 13.5% of women and 10.4% of men who found work identified as having a mental health condition.

• 13.6% of men and 8.9% of women identified as having experienced homelessness, and of the job seekers making this disclosure, 36% were First Nations peoples.

As a not-for-profit and charity, Workskil Australia delivers a variety of employment programs and community services to Australians in need of assistance.

Many of our customers engage in the Australian Government’s welfare programs and represent a significant portion of the nation’s unemployed working age population.

We undertake and publish this data analysis because our customers deserve a voice, and we have the ability to share their collective story.

Top Hiring Industries

The top 10 (in descending order) industries hiring in the March 2023 Quarter are:

Administration & Office Support 1 6

Trades & Services

Health & Medical 2 7

Hospitality & Tourism

Education & Training 3 8

Transport & Logistics

Manufacturing Community Services 4 9

Customer Service & Call Centre 5 10

Retail

• The percentage of our customers finding work in the Trades and Services industry has risen from 30% to 33% of total employment instances. It continues as the largest employment industry for those coming from an unemployed background.

• Education and Training moved up into the Top 10, taking the place of Agriculture, Animals and Conservation which dropped out this quarter.

• The percentage of new Hospitality & Tourism roles reduced from 12.5% to 10.3%. This aligns with seasonally high December holiday activity and a likely fall back in travel in the March Quarter which could also be attributed to cost of living pressures.

• As expected, new Retail jobs reduced significantly following the Christmas and Boxing Day rush, from 12.1% in the December 2022 Quarter to 6.8% in the March 2023 Quarter.

• Overall, we found that new employment/job numbers fell 19.5% from the December 2022 Quarter to the March 2023 Quarter. This highlights that there are fewer new jobs for those requiring the assistance of unemployment benefits, and many of the jobs available are only shortterm in duration.

Top Hiring Jobs

The top 10 (in descending order) most common roles filled in the March 2023 Quarter are: Observations:

• New Builder’s Labourer roles continue to dominate the market, increasing from 10.2% in the December 2022 Quarter to 12.7% in the March 2023 Quarter. It is expected this is a direct result of heightened building and trades activity which currently shows no signs of slowing. This is noteworthy when compared to the March 2022 Quarter where Builder’s Labourers accounted for only 5.2%.

• This increase creates significant demand for positions such as bricklayers, concreters and carpenters and the related apprenticeships.

• New Sales Assistant roles fell at a far greater rate than the total number of new employment instances. The 55.6% reduction in the relative number of new Sales Assistant roles shows the rise and fall of retail roles over the peak

Christmas period. The cyclical nature of peak season retail jobs hits women hardest as 67% of all Sales Assistant roles are held by women.

Gender Divide

The top 10 (in descending order) industries hiring in the March 2023 Quarter are:

For Males...

Hospitality & Tourism

Trades & Services

Administration & Office Support

Retail

Health & Medical

Trades & Services

Transport & Logistics

Manufacturing

Hospitality & Tourism

Retail

Education & Training

Community Services

Observations:

• Women make up 49% of the customers we service who receive unemployment benefits, yet only 40.4% of the employment instances for March 2023 Quarter, down from 41.8% in December 2022 Quarter. This suggests the composition of roles that women hold which are more likely to be seasonal (i.e. shorter-term) employment.

6 8 10 6. Manufacturing 7. Education & Training 8. Community Services 9. Customer Service & Call Centre 10. Transport & Logistics

Agriculture, Animals & Conservation

Mining & Energy

Customer Service & Call Centre

Construction

Administration & Support

• Traditional gender-dominated roles haven’t shifted. Whilst there is a lot which is publicised regarding efforts to break out of stereotypical jobs, the data shows that there is still a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity across many roles.

• Males continue to be overrepresented in roles such as builder’s labourers and truck drivers while females are overrepresented in sales assistance roles in retail and within the health and medical industry, particularly aged care.

For Comparison: Top Hiring Industries for males (December 2022 Quarter) 1. Trades & Services 2. Manufacturing 3. Transport & Logistics 4. Hospitality & Tourism 5. Retail

6. Agriculture, Animals & Conservation 7. Customer Service & Call Centre 8. Construction 9. Mining & Energy 10. Administration & Support

First Nations

Top 10 industries (in descending order) for First Nations recruitment in the March 2023 Quarter are: Observations:

• First Nations peoples represent 3.8% of Australia’s population, yet represent 20% of those who receive unemployment benefits. This shows a significant overrepresentation of First Nations peoples who are struggling to find work in Australia and rely upon Government support.

• Administration and Office Support fell from 6th to 10th position and Retail slipped from 4th to 6th while Transport & Logistics accounted for a greater share of First Nations employment in the quarter, rising from 5th to 3rd ranking.

• From the age of 30, women (both First Nations and Non-First Nations), are 16% more likely to rely upon unemployment benefits than men.

Migrants

Top 10 industries (in descending order) for Migrant recruitment in the March 2023 Quarter are:

• 3.6% of all new employment during the March 2023 Quarter involved individuals who came from a Refugee Visa background.

• Almost 11% of job seekers placed into new employment through Workskil Australia were individuals who come from Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) background.

• Community Services was among the big movers on the list, rising from 5th to 2nd place this quarter while Hospitality & Tourism industry fell back sharply from 2nd to 6th.

• Of all registered job seekers on unemployment benefits, 14% are classified as CALD and 4% Refugees.

Career change creates new social connections for Merrissa

When Merrissa Waye was unemployed and seeking a job in retail, she feared that her age would work against her.

At 42 years old, the Adnyamathanha woman felt she would be overlooked for younger job seekers when applying for a customer service position.

Adding to her stress was a sense of social isolation having only recently returned to her home state of South Australia with her young son after living in Queensland for 30 years.

“I had previously worked in aged care but I was wanting a career change,” Merrissa said.

“I was keen to try something new and be in a workplace where I could meet new people every day. However, I felt my age and lack of experience in retail would make it all too hard.

“I also didn’t know a lot of people when I first arrived back in Adelaide.

“Those six months without a job and without a strong social network were really tough on my mental health.”

With the help of Workskil Australia, Merrissa has made a successful career transition and is building her social connections.

She has a job at Bunnings in a customer-facing role she loves.

“When I got the call to say I had the job, it felt like all my stress just melted away,” she said.

“I’m now working in the nursery section where I get to meet customers every day, work with great people and be surrounded by plants.

“My team has a few people of similar age to me and a few younger ones as well as people from different cultures. I just love the whole atmosphere.”

Unfortunately, Merrissa’s positive experience is not one shared among all female job seekers in Australia.

Workskil Australia’s latest Work Watch report found that women over the age of 30, both First Nations and Non-First Nations, are 16% more likely to rely upon unemployment benefits than men.

The report also showed First Nations Australians represent 3.8% of Australia’s population but 20% of the number of people who receive unemployment benefits.

Workskil Australia has a dedicated team for First Nations recruitment including account managers and mentors located across Australia providing a range of free services to help large and small employers from a variety of industry sectors source First Nations staff.

According to Merrissa, the support she continues to receive along her employment journey is invaluable.

“My career transition turned out a lot easier than I expected,” she said.

“Workskil Australia was really supportive and helped me in applying for the job and putting together my resume.

“Everyone at Bunnings was so welcoming and I’m learning new skills all the time.

“I have flexibility in my shifts to help with my family responsibilities and I’ve joined the work social club where I get to meet more of my fellow teammates and build new friendships.

“Being employed, connected with a group of people and socialising again is a great feeling.”

Mental Health

13.5 %

of women who found work identified as having a mental health condition compared with 13% of women on our total caseload who identify as having mental health condition.

10.4 %

of men who found work identified as having mental health condition, as compared to 13.1% of men on our total caseload who identify as having mental health condition.

Observations:

• The data shows that mental health conditions aren’t an impediment for women finding work, possibly due to a higher level of openness to discuss issues and seek support.

• Men continue to struggle with the impacts of mental health on their employment prospects.

For Comparison: In the December Quarter, 12.3% of job seekers who found work identified as having a mental health condition. The breakdown of gender comparisons for those who found work against total caseload statistics were:

• WOMEN: 12.5% of women who found work in the December Quarter identified as having a mental health condition, as compared to 14.3% of women on our total caseload who identify as having a mental health condition.

• MEN: 12.1% of men who found work in December Quarter identified as having a mental health condition, as compared to 14.1% of men on our total caseload who identify as having a mental health condition.

In the March 2023 Quarter, 11.6% of job seekers who found work identified as having a mental health condition.

Homelessness

8.9 %

of women who found work identified as having experienced homelessness, as compared to 11.7% of women on our total caseload who identify as having experienced homelessness.

Observations:

13.6 %

of men who found work identified as having experienced homelessness, as compared to 16.4% of men on our total caseload who identify as having experienced homelessness.

• Of all job seekers who disclosed as being homeless at some stage of unemployment, 59% are male and 36% are First Nations (male and female).

• It is clear that homelessness impacts an individual’s employability regardless of gender or cultural identity.

For Comparison: In the December Quarter, 14.1% of job seekers declared having experienced homelessness. The breakdown of gender comparisons for those who found work against total caseload statistics were:

• WOMEN: 8.7% of women who found work identified as having experienced homelessness, as compared to 11.4% of women on our total caseload who identify as having experienced homelessness.

• MEN: 14% of men who found work identified as having experienced homelessness, as compared to 16.4% of men on our total caseload who identify as having experienced homelessness.

In the March 2023 Quarter, 11.8% of job seekers who found work identified as having been homeless.

Disclaimer

This report is presented by Workskil Australia for the purpose of disseminating information for the benefit of the public. Workskil Australia has taken care to ensure the information in this report is as correct and accurate as possible at the time of publishing. Workskil Australia does not guarantee, and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from, or connected to, the use of any material contained in this report or on any linked website. Workskil Australia recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to their use of this report and that users carefully evaluate the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of the material in this report for their purposes.

Privacy

The law, including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as set out in Privacy Act 1988, protects personal information provided to Workskil Australia. The APPs regulate how entities collect, use, disclose and store personal information., APP 6 places limits on the use and disclosure (sharing or releasing) of personal information. Workskil Australia must also comply with the Social Security Laws in relation to personal and protected information and must not use or disclose it other than for the purpose of the Social Security Laws (with some limited exceptions). However, where information has been appropriately de-identified, it is no longer personal or protected information and can therefore be used or shared in ways that may not otherwise be permitted under the Privacy Act or the Social Security Laws. Workskil Australia has taken steps to remove identifiers or otherwise alter other information (‘quasi-identifiers’) that may lead to reidentification in the data access environment. Workskil Australia has also put in place controls that may be necessary to manage the risk of re-identification in the data access environment.

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Workskil Australia acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this country, and their connection to land, water and community. We pay our respect to them, their cultures and customs, and to Elders past, present and emerging.