NILS Working paper no 167. Assisting people marginal to the labour market to gain and maintain employment: a spotlight on South Australia

Until relatively recently Australia experienced unprecedented levels of economic growth. The number of jobs available was at an all time high and unemployment at a 30 year historical low. It is an unfortunate reality however, that some groups of people did not have the chance to share in this economic prosperity. This article draws from research conducted in South Australia that aimed to understand more fully the reasons why, in the economic boom period, aspirations for employment were not being met. It details the main findings arising from in-depth interviews conducted with 106 people who were currently not participating or underparticipating in paid employment. The article concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for the development of strategies to help such groups to gain employment and remain in employment.