6222.0 - Job Search Experience, Australia, Jul 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/01/2005   
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MEDIA RELEASE

January 20, 2005
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
05/2005
One in five unemployed people unemployed for 12 months or longer

Just over one-fifth (21%) of Australia's 528,200 unemployed people had been unemployed for 12 months or longer at July 2004, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

For those unemployed people who reported their main difficulty in finding work as 'considered too old', the median time looking for work was 51 weeks, compared to 16 weeks for all unemployed people.

Of all people unemployed in July 2004, 39% were aged between 15 and 24 years and 21% were aged 45 years and over.

One-quarter (25%) of 15-19 year olds and 19% of 20-24 year olds reported their main difficulty in finding work as 'insufficient work experience'. Of 45-54 year olds, 29% reported that their main difficulty was 'considered too old by employers'. This rose to nearly half (46%) of unemployed people aged 55 years and over.

The majority (75%) of unemployed people in Australia in July 2004 had not started any job in the previous year, and 17% had never worked in a job for two weeks or more.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of unemployed people reported they had school qualifications only (i.e. year 12 or below), while 11% had a Bachelor Degree or above.

Of the 1.6 million people in Australia who started their current job in the 12 months to July 2004 (job starters), the majority (72%) started one job only in that period, and most (90%) had worked before. More than half (53%) had looked for work for less than one year before being offered that job, while 41% did not look for work at all.

Further details can be found in Job Search Experience, Australia, July 2004 (cat. no. 6222.0).