State Treasurer and Werribee MP Tim Pallas is trying to talk up the jobs market for young Victorians.
Mr Pallas last week spoke positively of “strong economic growth translating into jobs with Victorian employment”, which he says bucks the national trend.
He claims youth unemployment in Victoria has dropped one point, down to 14 per cent.
But a recent Brotherhood of St Laurence analysis of ABS data identifies Mr Pallas’s own electorate in Melbourne’s west as a hot spot for youth unemployment, with some 17.3 per cent of young people unable to find work.
Questioned on the discrepancy, Mr Pallas said his government is focussed on job creation.
He claimed 100,000 new jobs have been created across Victoria since the Andrews government was elected.
Mr Pallas listed the Western Distributor upgrade, the new Women’s West Hospital, the M80 upgrade, and the CityLink Tulla upgrade as projects that would, collectively, create “thousands of jobs”.
“While there’s always more to do … the government announced the creation of 450 jobs in construction, and 35 ongoing jobs as part of a $68 million investment in a data centre in Melbourne’s west.”
More needs to be done
Werribee Support and Housing chief executive Carol Muir said more needs to be done to combat the high rate of youth unemployment.
Citing ABS data, Ms Muir said 56 per cent of Wyndham residents already travel outside of the area to work, making it clear there are insufficient employment opportunities locally.
“There are a host of issues or barriers for young people seeking employment,” she said.
“One relates to education – the education system needs to be responsive to the diverse community we have.
“Institutions need to cater their courses to provide appropriate skills to enable young people to move into the workforce.”
She said Werribee Support and Housing data showed the second highest group of people seeking assistance was young people.
