Australia’s job market has been described as “dismal” amid rising unemployment, a shortage of vacancies and intense competition for roles, according to Sydney recruitment specialist Tammie Ballis.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed the unemployment rate increased from 4.5 per cent in July to 4.6 per cent in August, its highest level since the Covid pandemic. The number of unemployed people rose by 28,200 to 722,900.
Ms Ballis, who runs Realistic Careers in Sydney, said a rapid increase in immigration had added to the number of applicants competing for the same positions.
“We have seen too many people enter the job market in a short amount of time, and it is unfair to both immigrants and Australians,” she said.
She added: “There are hundreds of people applying for the same jobs. It’s impossible for employers to go through each and every application, so even if you have the right experience, your application may not be seen due to the sheer volume of applicants.”
Ms Ballis also argued that many graduates were entering the workforce with academic qualifications but insufficient practical experience. She said employers often wanted candidates who had already worked in the field.
“Young people are coming out of university thinking they are qualified when they’re not. Employers want experience,” she said.
In her view, vocational training and work experience could be more useful than a university degree unless the qualification was required for a profession such as medicine or engineering.
She said workers were also staying in their existing jobs because of the difficult conditions, reducing the number of openings available to people seeking a move. Recruitment freezes had been introduced by some companies, she said, meaning vacant posts might not be filled when employees left.
Young university graduates were among those most affected, according to Ms Ballis. Some were working in retail or the gig economy to make ends meet, while people trying to change careers faced competition from more experienced candidates.
Advice for jobseekers in Australia
Ms Ballis advised employees who were able to tolerate their current roles to remain in place while searching gradually for alternatives. She said this allowed them to take more time over applications rather than accepting a job in haste.
She also warned that people who moved too quickly could end up regretting their decision, while newer employees might be among the first affected if redundancies were announced.
For those looking for work, she recommended an easy-to-read CV, contacting the telephone number on an advert, approaching recruitment agencies for contract work and building professional networks.
Applicants without the required experience, she said, should consider starting at a lower level and working their way up. “You are just a CV until you get an interview,” she said.
Jobseekers responding to her assessment described similar difficulties. One said they had applied for about 40 jobs but secured only one interview, while another said they had stayed in an unpleasant role because of the uncertainty surrounding the employment market.
