Franchises hit by employment pressures
Guess how many Australians aged 11-24 prioritize getting a job rather than having long term financial security?
With the festive season already here, hospitality and retail sectors have been looking for sources of flexible employees to fit into one of the busiest times of their year.
These staffing pressures come at a time when almost a quarter of young Australians aged 11 to 24 consider getting a job more important than long term financial security and contributing to their community, a recent survey has indicated.
The National Survey of Young Australians 2011 shows 22.7 per cent of those surveyed placed significant value on getting a job, compared with 16 per cent in 2010.
Employment service providers are seeing increased competition for youth looking to enter the workforce with employers often opting to employ a more experienced older demographic.
With the unemployment rate steady at 5.2 percent, employment service providers can find it more difficult to place unskilled youths in positions of sustainable employment. However local provider Red Cross College has the right approach to the task at hand.
John Lucas, General Manager of Employment Services at Red Cross College said they had experienced a spike in direct enquiries from youth, as the need to seek employment pressured them to take action often whilst still at secondary school.
“Red Cross College in the Fortitude Valley has seen a surge in young people walking in and asking for assistance to link them to their desired job or to support them on pathways to job placements,” Mr Lucas said.
“Because Australian youth make up almost a quarter of the long-term unemployed, we’re trying to build our reach into schools and link students with their best job prospects.
“Red Cross College has been around for over 70 years and provides job seekers with access to a strong network of employers to explore, and above average placement rates which instil confidence.”
One case presented to Red Cross College recently was West End resident Mr Costa Hnoudis who has struggled to secure stable employment because of limited experience and learning barriers.
Costa’s brother Manuel explained how excited his brother was on obtaining employment at McDonalds through the support of Red Cross College.
“We’ve been looking for ways in which he can use his skills and personality to contribute to the workforce, but it’s been very difficult to find a job that fits,” Mr Hnoudis said.
“We approached Red Cross College, and they helped us understand what options my brother had, and then provided the support and training required for him to be competitive.
“Red Cross College identified what Costa was interested in, where he had strengths and how he can be trained up and placed with an employer who can benefit from his contribution.
After Red Cross College were able to source a position for Costa at McDonalds he said he was overjoyed to be able to work over Christmas and start 2012 off on a positive.
“Now I’m at McDonalds I couldn’t be happier – I love this job.”
