A job for life?: the changing labour market

Unemployment in Australia has been on the increase in recent years. Underemployment is also rising. The author notes that for young people the trends are much worse. At the same time more young people are employed part time, or on casual or fixed terms contracts than ever before. Why does this matter? It is argued that young people who fail to secure ongoing jobs by their mid-20s may never be able to establish themselves in the mainstream of employment. This is especially true of young people who have struggled to complete their secondary education or have not been successful at university or another form of post secondary education. In this chapter, the author examines some of the causes and consequences of high, growing youth unemployment and insecure work.