The government’s proposed reforms will officially be announced by jobs minister Kelly O’Dwyer in a pre-election move on Wednesday. The new model is expected to give jobseekers access to a self-service digital platform and free them of the demand to apply for 20 positions a month.
The changes to Jobactive are based on a report from last year, which revealed that the current system is wasting time for employers and jobseekers. They mark the biggest reforms to Australia’s employment services in over two decades.
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, welcomed the government’s commitment to transform Australia’s employment services model.
Commenting the overhaul, Ms Carnell revealed that small businesses find the current system difficult and, as a result, rarely use Jobactive providers to fill vacant positions.
“The proposed new model will address one of the biggest problems small businesses face when trying to hire new staff – finding job seekers with relevant skills to suit their business needs,” Ms Carnell said.
“This means employers won’t waste time sorting through unsuitable job seekers who are just going through the motions to achieve the necessary number of job applications.”
The job system will also offer jobseekers access to training opportunities when they need them.
“Small business owners spend long hours during the day working, so they might not have time to look for suitable candidates for their business until after hours,” Ms Carnell noted.
“The new digital platform will give employers the flexibility to search for suitable employees at a time that’s convenient for them.”
The job system reforms are set to be trialled in Adelaide’s southern suburbs and the NSW mid-north coast from July.
