Youth employment in Australia: A comparative analysis of labour force participation by age group

In the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), concern regarding youth unemployment in Australia and in many other countries has been escalating, and justifably so. However, the proposed policy solutions – where they exist – may not be the most effective. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Australian labour-force engagement by age group over the past two decades, specifcally by levels of labour force participation and unemployment rates. It fnds that policy levers to address the challenges of population ageing, as identifed in four Australian government Intergenerational Reports, by increasing female and mature labour-force participation and increasing immigration, combined with a lack of employment demand post the GFC, may have been detrimental, at least in recent history, to youth engagement in the labour force.