The youth unemployment rate of 12.8% (trend rate) for October remains much higher than the rates before the global financial crisis – which were below 9%  – according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The rate has climbed steadily from the year’s low of 12.2% in January 2016. More than 268,000 youth in the labour market are unable to find a job.

With an unemployment rate of 12.8%, young people aged 15 to 24 in the labour market are more than three times as likely to be unemployed as those aged 25 and over, who have an unemployment rate of 4.2%.

The large gap in unemployment rates suggests young people’s experiences in the labour market are different from those of older people. This is explored in the next section.