6222.0 - Job Search Experience of Unemployed Persons, Australia, Jul 2000  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/02/2001   
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MEDIA RELEASE

February 20, 2001
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
15/2001
Most jobseekers looking for full-time work

Three in four (76 percent) unemployed people were looking for full-time work in July 2000 according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

This is similar to the level recorded in a survey 12 months earlier. Most unemployed males (84 percent) were seeking full-time work, as were the majority of females (65 percent).

The survey found there were 544,300 unemployed people in July 2000 (excluding those who were stood down from work).

The main difficulties in finding work reported by unemployed people were:
  • too many applicants for available jobs (13 percent);
  • considered too young or too old by employers (13 percent); and
  • a lack of necessary skills or education (12 percent).

More than one-third (36 percent) of Australia's unemployed were aged between 15 and 24 years in July 2000. Their main difficulties in gaining employment were insufficient work experience (16 percent), too many applicants for available jobs (15 percent) and lack of necessary skills or education (13 percent).

Of the older jobseekers (those aged 45 years or more), 40 percent said that being considered too old by employers was the main obstacle to finding work.

In July 2000, 72 percent of unemployed people in search of a full-time job were registered with Centrelink compared to only one in four (24 percent) of unemployed people in search of a part-time job.

The survey also found that 94 percent of unemployed people contacted an employer in their efforts to find work. Of this group, 62 percent were registered with Centrelink.

In July 2000, 29 percent of all unemployed persons were considered long-term unemployed. That is, they had been unemployed for one year or more. Most of these people (86 percent) were seeking full-time work, and the majority (88 percent) had not received any job offers in the previous 12 months. A quarter (23 percent) of long-term unemployed persons reported that being considered too young or too old was the main barrier to finding employment.

Further details can be found in Job Search Experience of Unemployed Persons, Australia, July 2000 (cat. no. 6222.0) available from ABS Bookshops. The main features of the publication are available on this site If you wish to purchase a copy of this publication, contact the ABS Bookshop in your capital city.