Usually when VDC News looks to understand what is happening in the labour market we look to the excellent research and data being compiled by Jobs and Skills Australia.
This month though Anglicare Australia has published a very important piece of analysis on the Australian labour market (drawing on data held by Jobs and Skills Australia and the Department of Social Services) and it is a must read for all VET providers offering education to long-term unemployed students and to those who are entering the labour market for the first time (to help them get their first job and move successfully from ‘school’ to work).
Their Jobs Availability Snapshot 2025 brings together data on internet vacancies in August 2025 and the number of people receiving JobSeeker payments that month. The report looks at the skill levels of all internet job vacancies and focuses on the 11 percent of jobs available at Skill Level 5 (ie those requiring secondary education or a Certificate I qualification).
As Anglicare notes:
“These entry-level roles play an important role in the overall functioning of Australia’s labour market. They provide opportunities for people to gain work experience and develop foundational, transferable skills that can be applied across different sectors and industries, increasing their long-term employability.”
In August 2025 there were 887,795 people receiving JobSeeker payments and 64.9 percent of them had been on the payment for more than one year.
Anglicare argues that it is reasonable to assume that people who have been on JobSeeker support for more than 12 months are likely to have barriers to work.
The report suggests that people with barriers to work are best suited to entry-level jobs (Skill Level 5), and finds that there are 25 long-term unemployed people for every entry-level job advertised online.
Of course, it is not only long-term unemployed people applying for these entry level jobs – people who have been on JobSeeker for less than 12 months, and people who are working in other roles will also apply for these vacant positions. Anglicare also points out that these Skill Level 5 jobs are attractive to “students, young people, and people seeking second jobs.”
All of which makes it much more difficult for the long-term unemployed to find work. And regrettably many of these entry-level job roles are also vulnerable to disruption from automation, AI and other forms of digitisation; and they are often part-time or casual roles.
VET providers helping long-term unemployed people into work will be more important than ever as the labour market continues to change.
