Young people struggling to find full time work as unemployment grows

Checkpoint · Nov 4, 2026 · 6m

Long term unemployment is at a 31 year high. New figures show more than one in five jobless people have been out of work for a year or more, the highest level since 1995. Unemployment has now crept to 5.7 percent, almost an 11 year high. Youth are hit hard, with 14.1 percent of people aged 15-24 not in employment, education or training. Fatima Alsaeed graduated with a Bachelor of Health in May, but has not been able to find full-time work. She's working part-time in retail and at a cafe, and has returned to study part-time. Fatima Alsaeed spoke to Lisa Owen.