is slightly up. Check the article...
Teenage work ethic alive and kicking
S.M.H. August 25, 2007
AUSTRALIA is putting its teenagers to work. They might not be down mines or up chimneys as in days of yore, but they are serving behind shop counters and waiting on cafe tables in greater numbers than ever.
S.M.H. August 25, 2007
AUSTRALIA is putting its teenagers to work. They might not be down mines or up chimneys as in days of yore, but they are serving behind shop counters and waiting on cafe tables in greater numbers than ever.
A report by the United States Department of Labour, comparing international labour force data, says that Australia has more teens in the workforce than any other developed country.
A Chartbook of International Labour Comparisons, covering 1995 to 2005, finds that 60.6 per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds are working, compared with just 9.1 per cent of South Korean teenagers. Teenage rates in the US are 43.7 per cent, while 30 per cent of German and 13 per cent of Italian teenagers are in the labour market.
Experts are divided over whether such record levels of participation are good for teenagers and the country's long-term economic needs.
Mark Wooden, an economist with the Melbourne Institute, said the figures suggested a strong culture of work among young people. "We have a tradition of part-time and casual work for teenagers who are in the later years of high school or at university," Professor Wooden told the Herald.
"But we also don't have that same college mentality as they do in the US." There, college students traditionally take summer jobs but live and study full-time on campus.
Professor Wooden also said teenagers made a living wage, earning about $15 an hour in the service industries, making work more attractive than school for many students who lack academic aptitude.
"What happens when times are good is that many kids drop out of school to work," he added.
Bill Mitchell, of the Centre of Full Employment and Equity at Newcastle University, warned the figures were deceptive. He said the participation rate included young people who were trying to enter the labour market, not just those working, and youth unemployment in Australia remained stubbornly high at between 15 and 24 per cent.
He feared that many young workers were locking in to low-skilled jobs that paid reasonable wages now but offered little hope of a career in a trade or profession.
"We have a severe skills shortage and we would be better off supporting young people getting through formal education in greater numbers," Professor Mitchell said.
His comments are reflected in the research of the Youth Action and Policy Association, which argues that skilled work, such as apprenticeships, is too poorly paid to retain young workers.
The association's policy officer, John Ferguson, said some apprentices were earning as little as $5.90 an hour, making it no surprise that they would prefer to work in higher-paid service industry jobs, even if they offered fewer long-term opportunities.
The National Centre for Vocational Education and Research said only 55 per cent of trainees completed their apprenticeships.
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