Help, but not real help: mature age jobseeker perspectives on employment services in Australia

Authors
Seuwandi Wickramasinghe and Dina Bowman
Published
2018

The first of three reports from a study exploring how jobactive employment services can better help mature age jobseekers find work. This report focuses on the jobseekers.

At a glance

With an ageing workforce, Australia’s publicly funded employment services need to understand the needs and skills of older jobseekers so they can help them find jobs.

This is the first of three reports from a study made up of interviews with mature age jobseekers, jobactive staff and employers in four Victorian employment regions with high rates of mature-age unemployment.

This report focuses on the analysis of semi-structured interviews with 30 mature age jobseekers about their experiences of employment services.

Dive deeper

The report showed that there is disjunction between what mature age jobseekers say they need from employment services and what they get.

Instead of a focus on short-term solutions and compliance, mature age jobseekers identified a need for considered pathways to sustainable employment, an enhanced skills assessment and recognition process, more effective engagement and specific training relevant to digital job search and to available jobs.

This study was funded by the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation—Eldon & Anne Foote Trust (Innovation Grant 2015).

Last updated on 16 June 2020

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In this series

By Dina Bowman and Agathe Randrianarisoa 2018

The second of three reports from a study exploring how Australia’s jobactive employment services might better assist mature age jobseekers

Read report
By Dina Bowman and Agathe Randrianarisoa 2018

The last of three reports studying Australia’s jobactive employment program found the service is not working well for mature age job seekers.

Read report
By Dina Bowman, Agathe Randrianarisoa and Seuwandi Wickramasinghe 2018

What is needed to help mature jobseekers find work?

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