Generation ME: Teenage activist with '12 years of classical music training' whinges about having to apply for a job in retail - and 'only' getting one of the 10 positions she applied for
- NSW Young Labor has released video on Australian youth struggling to find work
- Activist Belinda Thomas, 19, lamented how she applied for 10 retail jobs at 17
- She could not use her '12 years of training as a classical musician' to get work
A youth activist who wanted to be a classical musician has whinged about having to apply for retail jobs at the age of 17.
New South Wales Young Labor has released a three-minute video of members under 26 complaining about the job market.
Belinda Thomas, 19, appeared in the Facebook video whingeing about having to apply for less glamorous jobs in retail before she became an adult.
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A youth activist who wanted to be a classical musician has whinged about having to apply for retail jobs at the age of 17
'When I was 17, I needed income to support myself in order to have a claim of independence from my family situation,' she said in a video filmed at trendy Chippendale on the fringe of Sydney's CBD.
'Unable to use my 12 years of training as a classical musician to find a job, I ended up sending about 10 applications to retail jobs and only ended up scrounging one by chance.'
Ms Thomas said she was only able to score this job because she 'had the exact same name as the interviewer's best friend'.
Youth unemployment in June rose to 16.4 per cent, with the coronavirus recession making life in the labour market particularly tough for those aged 15 to 24.
The jobless rate among the young was more than double last month's national average of 7.4 per cent, itself the highest since November 1998.
One critic on Facebook questioned how Ms Thomas had expected the government to help her, considering coronavirus had caused live concerts to be cancelled since March.
'What's government got to do with jobs in classical music? Weird ad,' one man said.
James Skibinski, from the Australian Taxpayers' Alliance, described the video as cringe-worthy.
'Rich people complaining they can't get a job with a diploma in underwater basket weaving,' he said.
A generation ago, Young Labor prided itself on standing up for those in less fashionable hospitality and retail jobs.
Former NSW Young Labor president Mark Arbib, who later served as a federal government minister, became involved in politics shortly after the early 1990s recession, following a dispute with his managers at a Sizzler restaurant when he was a university student.
In Ms Thomas's case, the labour market had apparently conspired against her.
Belinda Thomas, 19, appeared in the Facebook video whingeing about having to apply for less glamorous jobs in retail before she became an adult
One critic on Facebook questioned how Ms Thomas had expected the government to help her, considering coronavirus had caused live concerts to be cancelled since March
'Entering adulthood isn't easy, but entering adulthood as a young woman when the whole system is already set up against you is terrifying,' she said.
'The burning desire you've had to succeed your whole life is suddenly met with a crushing roadblock just when you think you've got a new chance.'
She then addresses stereotypes about young people being lazy, with one in five young women out of work.
'Believe me, these statistics don't exist because we're a lazy generation with our eyes and hands glued to our screen,' she said.
Former prime minister Paul Keating, former NSW premier Bob Carr and federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese are all former NSW Young Labor presidents.
The Young Labor video criticised Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government for putting up fees for arts degrees but didn't mention how they are being reduced for occupations in demand such as nursing, teaching and science.
NSW Young Labor president Paul Mills in the video said 'Scomo and the Libs have sent a message to young people telling them their lives are gonna get a lot tougher'.
The federal government has already spent $70billion on the JobKeeper program providing $1,500 a fortnight wage subsidies to 3.3million workers, as the coronavirus shutdowns threatened to spark the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s Great Depression.
In June, the government announced a $250million JobMaker plan to help the arts sector, financially struggling with social distancing rules.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is expected to announce an extension of the JobKeeper package on Thursday, which could see struggling workers given taxpayer help until June next year.
The Coalition government's three welfare stimulus programs, adding up to almost $154billion, are triple what Kevin Rudd's Labor government spent in 2008 and 2009 at the height of the Global Financial Crisis.
Australia avoided a recession during the GFC but is expected to sink into one this year for the first time since 1991.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted NSW Young Labor for comment.
A generation ago, Young Labor prided itself on standing up for those in less fashionable hospitality and retail jobs
