The 2008 global financial crisis remains the defining event in Australia’s youth unemployment story, and long-term unemployment presents a threat for a new generation.

Remarkably, 18.4 per cent of all young unemployed 15–24 year olds in September 2017 had been out of work for a year or more – that’s 50,500, or nearly one in five of the total. This is more than three times the number before the GFC.

Meanwhile, blaming young people is simply not supported by facts. New data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey shows unemployed youth have consistently undertaken just as wide a range of job search activities as older people.

This report for the Brotherhood’s Youth Unemployment Monitor provides a snapshot of labour market trends that affect young Australians.