Australia’s Youth Are Leading The Jobs Surge, Latest Figures Report

Young Australians are driving employment growth across the country, but a closer look shows they’re working more, not necessarily earning more.

Australia’s youth are officially leading the jobs surge. New data from Employment Hero shows employment for those aged 18–24 rose 15.5% year-on-year (YoY) in August. That’s more than double the national average. But while hiring’s booming, the picture gets murkier when you dig into hours worked and wages.

Young, hired, and hustling

The fastest employment growth is coming from the youngest cohorts. Workers aged 18–24 saw employment increase by 15.5% YoY. Even teens aren’t being left behind, employment for 14–17 year-olds jumped a staggering 31.2%, with hours worked up 17.5%.

That hiring momentum is being driven largely by casual and part-time roles. Casual employment is up 9.1% year-on-year, while full-time employment is plateauing, up just 2.8% YoY and falling 0.1% month-on-month. SMEs are clearly leaning into flexible hiring, tapping into younger talent and shifting away from traditional full-time roles.

Hours worked aren’t keeping pace.

Despite more jobs, hours worked by the 18–24 group dropped 4.1% month-on-month in August. Casual hours are up 5.9% year-on-year, but flat compared to full-time and part-time. It’s a signal that businesses may be spreading workloads thin across more hands without upping actual work time.

Where the jobs are

Sector-wise, it’s Admin & Office Support (+16% YoY), Healthcare & Community (+7.9%) and Retail (+6.1%) that are leading the charge. Science & Tech, a top dog for much of the year, saw a rare dip, down 0.1% YoY.

Regionally, Western Australia outpaced the national average with 6.2% growth. NSW and Queensland tied at 5.6%. WA’s hiring rebound comes after a few sluggish months, while Queensland continues a strong streak it’s held since late last year.

Wage growth: steady, but slowing

Median wages are up 4.6% YoY nationally, with a 0.7% bump MoM and 2.1% QoQ. Not bad but it’s a touch below last month’s pace and could signal a broader plateau. Once again, Science & Tech leads wage growth by industry (+8.9% YoY), while Construction & Trade surprisingly dropped 1.9% MoM.

Perth and Victoria are holding strong, with median wages up 6.5% and 4.4% YoY respectively. Canberra and Brisbane, however, are in the red, posting slight year-on-year declines.

What it all means for SMEs

So what’s the takeaway? Employers are clearly still hiring, but the shape of that hiring is shifting. Youth, casual roles, and flexibility are in. Full-time roles and big wage spikes? Not so much.

This trend isn’t inherently negative. Flexibility is a win for many young workers balancing study or life commitments. But with fewer hours and a widening wage gap, median salaries for older workers are around $15/hour higher, it’s a wake-up call for businesses to check they’re not undervaluing their newest hires.