Jobless Aussies Being ‘Churned’ Through Employment System

Unemployed Australians are being “churned” through a system that isn’t delivering jobs while becoming increasingly punitive for jobseekers. In a new report, Anglicare has called for an overhaul of a “failing” employment system. It says Australia’s social security system was placing more obligations and conditions on people seeking work, while simultaneously reducing the support it offers them to secure employment. Key findings included people out of work were spending an average of five years looking for jobs, and while most of these people needed entry-level jobs, those were disappearing. It says government strategies ignored these people and focused on short courses and mutual obligation instead of building long-term skills....