Victoria has the highest rate of youth unemployment of the mainland states and
territories with figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS) showing the number of unemployed youth has still sitting at a high18.9
per cent. 

Last month saw the lowest number of young people in work in Victoria in more than
four years – since August 2009 – with only 142,300 employed.  

In addition Victoria has the lowest youth participation rate of in the nation, at 48.7
per cent  against a national average of 52.5 per cent, and the lowest employment-to-population ratio at only 39.5 per cent, compared to the national average of 44.1 per cent.

“The sad figures released today are the result of Denis Napthine failing to provide
job or training opportunities for our young people,” Mr Pallas said. 

“Under the Liberals Victoria a higher youth unemployment rate than anywhere else onthe mainland of Australia and is only slightly behind Tasmania which recorded a
youth unemployment figure of 19.5 per cent. 

“These figures are a disgrace and it’s shameful that in order to get work young
Victorians are better off leaving the state.”

Mr Pallas said that cuts by Denis Napthine to vocation training in the TAFE and
school system meant that fewer young people were getting the skills they need
to gain employment.  

“Ripping $1.2 billion out of the TAFE system has resulted in a reduction in the number
of courses available and has seen a drop in the number of enrolments of students,” he said.

“This Government has scaled back vocational programs in schools such as the Victorian
Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) which is aimed at students who go into
the workforce on leaving school rather than higher education.”   

Overall there was more bad news for Victoria with unemployment up from 5.8 per cent to
5.9 per cent ahead of the national average with a further 6,000 more people unemployed.

“After three years in government Denis Napthine has no plan to respond to the almost
weekly news of industry cutting jobs in Victoria,” Mr Pallas said.

“No Victorian – especially those younger people seeking their first job – can have any confidence that this Premier or his Treasurer are on their side. 

“Instead of creating jobs, working with industry or skilling up the local workforce, Denis Napthine is sitting back and watching as more Victorians are out of work.”