Unemployment surges in Australia

Ashlie Stevenson working in the garden. Source: SBS

There has been a surge in unemployment in Australia. The government is optimistic, saying the figures were collected during lockdown and the economy has turned the corner. But for the hundreds of thousands of long term unemployed the future remains bleak.

A study by the Australian Council of Social Service, has found long term unemployment is at crisis levels.

Chief Executive Cassandra Goldie says 826-thousand people have been on JobSeeker for more than a year.

In October the unemployment rate rose to 5-point-2 per cent.

That's up from 4-point-6 per cent.

This follows a 13-year low in the unemployment rate in August - a decline attributed to people leaving the workforce rather than a strong job market.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the economy's changed since the October data was collected.

The federal opposition says the data illustrates the recovery is patchy, and that many Australians are at risk of being left behind.

Cassandra Goldie says job market woes have less to do with economics and more to do with how resources are spent.

Download the free SBS Radio app to listen live and on-demand or explore podcasts.

Visit our Facebook for more Japanese stories and images.