There are now almost as many job vacancies as unemployed Australians, as industries suffer the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.
There are more than 480,000 unoccupied jobs, while the number of Australians classified as unemployed is 548,100, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The record number of job opportunities available has increased by 14 percent compared to February and more than double the number of jobs in February 2020.
Major industries desperately looking for staff include the arts and recreation, closely followed by hospitality and real estate services.
There are more than 480,000 unoccupied jobs, while the number of Australians classified as unemployed is 548,100, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labor Statistics at ABS, said the number of companies looking to hire at least one more staff member has also increased.
“A quarter of companies said they had at least one vacancy in May this year,” he said.
“This rate was more than double the level before the pandemic in February 2020 (11%), which shows the extent to which companies have more difficulty finding staff.”
Victoria saw job vacancies rise 18 per cent in just three months, while available positions in NSW rose 12 per cent.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the massive shortage of labor observed on farms “was driving up prices in our supermarkets”.
“We have to deal with issues related to supply chain resilience, we have to deal with labor movement, labor mobility, labor shortage, we have to deal with that,” he told Sky News.
Major industries desperately looking for staff include the arts and recreation, closely followed by hospitality and real estate services.
Job recruiters have recently criticized some Centrelink recipients for submitting applications for roles they do not intend to work in just so they can receive social assistance payments.
A resume that saw Daily Mail Australia was from a person who admitted to running his own business and applying for the job because “in the current climate I need to be on Centrelink”.
An anonymous hiring company also shared examples of some of the fake applications they had received.
Job recruiters have recently turned down Centrelink recipients for submitting applications for roles they don’t intend to work on just so they can receive welfare payments.
One application was for a car sales consultant role, but the applicant’s resume only had experience in plumbing.
Another request was from a job seeker who said he had his own business but was “forced” to apply for jobs to get his benefits.
A third-party resume was blank and contained only your name and address with references available upon request.
A resume contained six miserable words: “I don’t have an ATM”
Another person wrote in his application, “I am fulfilling my job search requirements by applying for this position.”
A recruitment company shared examples of some of the resumes they had received with Daily Mail Australia. This resume was blank and contained only personal data
This cover letter showed that someone admitted to owning their own business but was still applying for a job so they could make a profit.
In April, 2GB radio presenter Ben Fordham partly blamed Centrelink recipients for a massive shortage of workers.
“But let’s be real here: not everyone is looking for work,” Fordham said.
“Not everyone wants a job and the established measures do not work. Every day we hear another story about staff shortages.
The radio presenter said that despite moves to bolster the workforce with 175,000 foreign workers, backpackers and international students, he would not solve the problem.
2GB radio presenter Ben Fordham says there are Australians who should work but won’t and have become addicted to wellness
“The truth is that there are Australians who should work but won’t. They’ve gotten used to the welfare, they’ve become addicted to it,” he said.
“We’ve made it too easy for people to sit down while others do the heavy work and the workers get paid.”
In February, Fordham urged Australians to call themselves the “dole bludgers” who refused to work by calling the employer’s information line.
‘[The number is] 1300 361 241, “Fordham said.” That’s in case you know people who refuse to come out from behind. ”
“I’ve been a bludger for 20 years; I know all the gaps”
Ben Hoy is 42 years old, but for most of the last two decades he admits he has been a “dole bludger”.
The father of two, who is away from his children, has worked from time to time since adolescence, usually doing some “cash work” as a worker.
Ben Hoy, 42, (pictured) told the Daily Mail Australia that he has been a “dole bludger” for the past two decades.
In 2017, Mr Hoy told the Daily Mail Australia that he “knew the loopholes” to maintain his welfare payment, even though he was not actively looking for work.
“Well saying it that way, I’ve been down since I was 17 and I know all the gaps,” he said of his 20 years in wellness.
“Every time they want me to work for the dole, I change work agency and it all starts again.
“They don’t follow him, they don’t do anything.”