Morrison’s shocker: One third of youth labour short of work

Friday 16 October 2020

Yesterday’s ABS labour force release for September revealed that Australia’s youth – i.e. those aged 15 to 24 years old – mirrored the nation’s jobs decline.

The headline youth unemployment rate rose 0.4% to 14.5% and remains nearly three times higher than the rest of the labour market (5.6%):

Of more interest, youth jobs fell by 10,900 versus a 18,700 decline in jobs across the rest of the labour market, with youth jobs still 157,800 below their March pre-COVID level:

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.