Breaking barriers: Anglicare WA’s roadmap to end entrenched unemployment.

With the jobless rate remaining historically low, employers across the state have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help break the cycle of entrenched unemployment, according to Anglicare WA’s CEO Mark Glasson.

“Western Australian employers are crying out for staff, and people facing the biggest barriers to finding work are desperate for an opportunity to show what they can do,” said Mr Glasson.

“It’s easy to look at the current jobs data and conclude that anyone who wants a job can get one if they just put in a bit of effort.

“That’s an understandable but simplistic view of the situation. There simply aren’t enough genuine entry-level pathways for those who have limited education or experience.”

Each year, Anglicare Australia conducts the Jobs Availability Snapshot. The report compares the number of entry-level jobs with the number of jobseekers with significant barriers to workforce entry.

The 2022 Snapshot, released in December, found for every entry-level job in WA, there are 15 potential applicants. Of those, three face significant hurdles to employment. This includes older workers unemployed later in life, people with disability, and young people without training or further education.

“The data shows the same cohort of people still remain locked out of the jobs market - just as they have been for years” Mr Glasson said.

“This will not change - unless we create genuine entry-level pathways to employment, to enable people to find and keep their jobs. The only way to truly support them into the workforce is through concerted initiatives to remove the barriers that have consistently prevented them finding work.

“This is an opportunity for WA’s employers to fill vacant positions while changing the lives of some of the state’s most vulnerable people.

Mr Glasson said it won’t be easy and will require a shift in mindset - but it does work.

“We’ve proven it can be done through the recruitment process we established to deliver the  Hardship Utility Grants Scheme (HUGS) in Western Australia.”

The HUGS call centre was established in Armadale by Anglicare WA in 2018. HUGS employs Financial Support Workers to help Western Australians who are in financial hardship and unable to pay utility bills, to stay connected.

When it came time to recruit, said Mr Glasson, Anglicare WA took a different approach – with the intention of making a genuine difference in the local community – above and beyond delivery of the State Government contract.

“We partnered with local job-active agencies, now known as Workforce Australia, who recommended potential applicants. Our selection process considered each candidates values, attitudes, and capability to learn, rather than their existing skills and knowledge. The recruitment process involved an information session, short response to questions relating to motivation, an interview, and an assessment of communication, problem solving and numeracy.”

The process resulted in 22 successful applicants, many of whom had themselves come from significant financial disadvantage and had been unemployed for a long time. They took part in two weeks intensive training and continued to receive regular, ongoing support, which Mr Glasson explained was a critical part of the process.

“We knew we wanted to set these new staff up to succeed, not fail. A key component of the support we provided them was regular debriefs - on a daily or weekly basis - depending on the needs of the employee.

“This approach was not without its challenges but as an employer you need to have the courage to try an innovative approach to recruitment and staff management, and the commitment and flexibility to make it work. But when it works, it works really well”.

The Financial Support Workers developed extensive skills, reported a high job satisfaction, and most importantly, broke the cycle of entrenched unemployment. Of the 22 original recruits, 11 left for career growth opportunities and nine remain with the organisation.

“The outcomes really are incredible. Stable, secure employment was a life-changing experience for some of our cohort, who were able to move out of social housing into private rental and home ownership or achieve their dream of studying to TAFE or university.

“It’s not just one-way, either. We have gained insights about ourselves as an employer, and our organisation is more diverse, richer, and a better place to work,” said Mr Glasson.

“Right now, in WA we have record low unemployment, a shortage of workers and a group of people desperate for a chance to enter the jobs market.

“There has never been a greater incentive for government, industry, and the not-for-profit sector to work together to end entrenched unemployment in our state and to build positive futures for generations to come. All it takes is the courage to remove the barriers that are holding people back.”

“Anglicare WA, including CEO Mark Glasson, was invited to address this week’s Perth hearing of the House of Representatives Select Committee inquiry into Workforce Australia Employment Services.”

Anglicare WA’s CEO Mark Glasson