Anglicare report reveals Australia’s entry-level job crisis as 39 jobseekers compete for every vacancy

Australia’s most vulnerable job seekers are being left out of the workforce as entry-level jobs disappear at the fastest pace in a decade, a new national snapshot has revealed.

Anglicare Australia’s Employability Snapshot 2025, published on Thursday, paints a stark picture of a labor market where older Australians, people with disabilities and those without formal qualifications are being forced to compete for jobs that no longer exist.

The annual analysis tracks how many positions are realistically open to people without recent experience or training.

This year’s findings show an unprecedented lack of compliance, with 39 people on JobSeeker fighting for every entry-level vacancy and 25 of them facing significant barriers to work, the highest rate in the report’s history.

Anglicare Australia chief executive Kasy Chambers said the results pointed to a system that was fundamentally failing the people who trusted it.

He said the job market no longer creates realistic enough opportunities for those who need them most, with entry-level positions currently accounting for just 11 percent of all vacancies, the lowest share in 10 years.

“These are older Australians, people with disabilities or people who haven’t finished school,” Ms Chambers said.

“They are looking for jobs that they can actually do, but those jobs are disappearing.”

Ms Chambers said many of the job seekers overlooked each year were people who were fully willing to work, but the sectors and roles suitable for them were shrinking rapidly.

He noted that despite their determination, the odds were so stacked against them that most were left in a difficult situation regardless of their efforts.

“What they need is a fair pathway and a system that helps them, not hinders their efforts,” Ms Chambers said.

“When people are given real opportunities and a fair income, they take them.”

He described Australia’s employment services model as one that continues to penalize job seekers while providing profits for private providers, arguing that billions of dollars of taxpayer funding were being funneled into a system focused on compliance rather than results.

“Meanwhile, people are stuck with endless appointments and pointless activities, while competing for jobs that don’t exist,” he said.

Ms Chambers said this approach had been in place for more than two decades and long-term unemployment had worsened during that time.

He called for an overhaul of the model, calling it a “failed experiment”.

He also called on the government to scrap Centrelink payments, arguing people should not be pushed into poverty when there are so few suitable jobs.

“The people we work with every day are ready to contribute. What they need is fairness and a system that helps them, not hinders their efforts,” he said.

Ms Chambers said the solution was to provide people with real opportunities and the financial stability to pursue those opportunities.

“When people are given real opportunities and a fair income, they take them.”