1 in 10 Australians spend time out of work during the year

Written by Australian Bureau of Statistics

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

1 in 10 Australians spend time out of work during the year Around 1.7 million or almost 1 in 10 Australians above the age of 15 were out of work and looking for a job at some time during the year up to February 2011. Of those who looked for work, three-quarters had a single spell of looking for work while not working during the twelve months to February 2011. Almost three-quarters (72%) of those who looked for work, spent less than half the year looking, while 8% looked for the whole 12 months without finding a job. On average, people aged 55 and over spent the most time looking for work while not working (22 weeks of the year), according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Those aged 15–19 spent the least time looking for work while not working (15 weeks in the year). The average time spent looking for work whilst not working was around 18 weeks for both men and women and men were more likely to be out of work and looking for a job during the year than women (53% compared to 47%).

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 31 August 2011 )