Creatively creating jobs

What we need is the will and entrepreneurial leadership to make it happen.

But there is also a need to divert funding from redundant employment services, where there are numerous Job Network agencies chasing the same clients and employers while offering the same services. We need to change focus of employment programs from filling existing positions to creating new jobs.

A lot can be done at the community level.

It is estimated that about 70 per cent of new jobs are created by small and medium businesses. If we look into the near future, we can expect in ten years about 80 per cent of jobs will be created by businesses that are now small or which do not exist yet. It is the local and community based initiatives that can encourage creation of new businesses and create relevant support structures.

It is time to make a long, hard look at our performance when it comes to creating new jobs and to search for inspiration throughout Australia and overseas and develop our own unique solutions.