Plight of the 'skilled unemployed'

I was what is referred to as a “skilled unemployed person”. That is, a person who has not only job experience, but qualifications to match a number of criteria which employers seek. The skilled unemployment rate is now at the highest it has been since 2001, and jobseekers are currently outnumbering positions by almost 10,000.

Skilled workers are among the highest number of casualties of the current economic breakdown. Nearly 43,000 since the start of 2009 are counted as among those who have lost their jobs.

At this point, with all this wasted talent standing in Centrelink queues in the hope of not being there next week, Australia risks becoming a society where inequality and poverty are the norm. The rich still get richer, the poor get poorer.

Organisations such as the St Vincent de Paul Society have all reported a spike in those seeking emergency accommodation. Much of this caused by interest rates that have risen steadily over the past two years and have only recently been brought down in the face of imminent economic meltdown.

There are thousands of unemployed, marginalised people on Centrelink who struggle each day to live on a small amount of money.

Now, in addition to these, a new underclass of skilled, qualified, highly educated people is also in there. Talent and work-ethic is being wasted, and it doesn't seem it will change in the near future.

Post script: This week, after two and a half months of searching, I returned to my former job - teaching adult migrants in south/western Sydney. Once again, I will be working with people who struggle to make ends meet and line up each fortnight in Centrelink queues. This time, I will view their experiences through a different lens.