Youth unemployment is persistently higher than adult unemployment — approximately 8-10% of young Australians aged 15-24 are unemployed, compared to about 4% of the overall workforce. For disadvantaged young people — those who have been homeless, involved in the justice system, left care, or experienced significant disadvantage — youth unemployment can exceed 40%. Employment is one of the most powerful pathways out of disadvantage, providing income, identity, structure, and social connection. Grant funding supports the programmes that help young Australians find and keep meaningful work.
The landscape
Who faces the greatest employment barriers
Young people with complex barriers include:
- Young people experiencing or exiting homelessness
- Young people leaving out-of-home care (foster/kinship care)
- Young people with justice involvement (criminal records create employment barriers)
- Young people with disability (including mental health conditions)
- Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Young migrants and refugees
- Early school leavers without Year 12 or equivalent
- Young people in regional and remote areas (fewer opportunities)
Why youth employment matters
Employment in young adulthood is not just about income:
- Establishes career trajectories
- Provides identity and purpose
- Creates social connections
- Reduces disadvantage trajectories
- Employment at 20 dramatically changes life at 30
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Skilling Australians Fund
Apprenticeship and traineeship funding through state training authorities.
Australian Apprenticeships
Commonwealth support for apprenticeships including incentive payments and Australian Apprenticeship Support Network.
DSS
State employment departments
State youth employment and training programmes.
The Smith Family
Major youth education and employment funder — pathways from school to work.
Youth Projects
Youth employment and education in Melbourne.
Mission Australia
Employment services for young people with complex needs.
The Paul Ramsay Foundation
Pathways out of disadvantage — employment as a pathway.
NAB Foundation
Financial inclusion and employment, including youth employment.
BHP
Apprenticeships and STEM employment pathways.
Rio Tinto and mining sector
Indigenous and remote area apprenticeships.
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Youth employment innovation and advocacy.
Alannah and Madeline Foundation
Youth safety and pathways for vulnerable young people.
Work readiness and pre-employment
For young people not yet ready for mainstream employment:
- Job readiness training (workplace skills, communication, attendance)
- Driver's licence programmes (a significant barrier in many areas)
- Digital literacy for work (email, basic office software)
- Financial literacy
- Presentation and interview skills
Apprenticeships and traineeships
Earn-while-you-learn pathways:
- Pre-apprenticeship programmes (preparing young people for the workplace)
- Apprenticeship host employer matching
- Apprenticeship completion support (many apprentices drop out)
- School-based apprenticeships
- Group training organisations
School-to-work transitions
Disadvantaged youth pathways
For young people with complex needs:
- Supported employment (not mainstream — but structured work with support)
- Social enterprise employment
- Youth employment case management (intensive support)
- Mentoring from employed adults
Social enterprise employment
Social enterprises provide employment for young people who struggle in mainstream:
- Cafes, food businesses, recycling, cleaning, gardening
- Skills and work history building
- Supported transition to mainstream employment
Indigenous youth employment
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth face barriers including geography, qualifications, and discrimination:
- Remote community employment programmes
- Indigenous apprenticeship programmes (IAPS — Indigenous Apprenticeships Programme)
- Cultural mentoring alongside work skills
- Employer education and cultural competence
- Community enterprise development
Regional and rural employment
Young people in regional and remote areas have fewer opportunities:
- Agribusiness and agricultural apprenticeships
- Remote employment programmes
- Relocation support (for those moving to cities for work)
- Local economic development supporting regional employment
Young people leaving care
Leaving out-of-home care at 18 is a major risk point:
- Employment support included in leaving care planning
- Post-care employment mentoring
- Employer partnerships for care-leavers
Young parents
Young parents (particularly single mothers) face particular barriers:
- Childcare access to enable employment
- Flexible training and employment options
- Financial viability of working (avoiding welfare traps)
Green jobs and climate employment
Emerging pathway:
- Renewable energy apprenticeships
- Environmental and conservation employment
- Circular economy enterprises
Youth employment is not just about young people — employers need to be engaged:
- Employer education (value of hiring young people)
- Youth employment pledges and campaigns
- Recruitment support (pre-screening, job description design)
- Retention support (mentoring, flexible arrangements)
- Employer recognition programmes
Completion and retention
Getting young people into work is valuable; keeping them there is the measure. Applications that show not just placement but 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month retention are more compelling than placement-only metrics.
Complex barriers
The easiest youth to employ have already been employed. Applications targeting young people with the greatest barriers — homelessness, justice involvement, care leaving, disability — address the greatest need.
Employer partnerships
Youth employment programmes that have committed employer partnerships (confirmed interview pathways, job offers) are more credible than training programmes without clear employment outcomes.
Social enterprise model
Social enterprises that employ young people while building skills are well-evidenced and increasingly popular — they provide the "middle step" between work readiness training and mainstream employment.
Tahua's grants management platform supports youth employment funders and pathways organisations — with participant tracking, employment outcome measurement, programme completion data, and the reporting tools that help youth employment funders demonstrate their investment in meaningful work pathways for Australia's young people.