Evaluation of the Australian Wage Subsidy Special Youth ...

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Table 2.15 Distribution of SYETP commencements, by age and sex 1980-81
15-17 years 18-19 years 20-24 years Numbers of
commencements
% of all
programme
commencements
Male Female Male Female Male Female
SYETP
7.2 10.5 14.6 24.2 23.3 20.1 3315 3.8
Commonwealth
2nd SYETP 2.1 0.8 17.5 27.5 26.2 25.8 240 0.3
Commonwealth
SYETP private 27.2 32.0 12.7 14.8 7.4 5.9 47500 54.2
2nd SYETP 19.6 21.2 20.9 22.2 8.3 7.8 23631 3.0
private
Extended SYETP 0.9 0.9 25.1 28.9 25.4 18.8 6825 7.8
Total all
87558
programmes
Source: BLMR (1983) p16 Table 3.1. Data is Department of Employment and Industrial Relations
administrative records for commencements to the programme in 1980-81, which thus only refer to ‘flow’
into the programme and not the total number or ‘stock’ being treated at any one time. Table shows
proportions in that sum across to 100 per cent for the programme. ‘2 nd SYETP’ placements refer to
commencements where this was the 2 nd eligible period of SYETP assistance – i.e. multiple placements. The
Extended SYETP was not in operation until the ‘March 1981’ quarter.
Private SYETP placements were mostly in selling and unskilled occupations, with 14.4
per cent in general administrative positions, 23.1 per cent in selling, and 34.4 per cent in
semi-skilled jobs. Extended SYETP had 42 per cent of placements in semi-skilled jobs.
Private SYETP placements occurred to a large extent in Retail trade (30.9 per cent) and
‘other services’ which excluded public/health or education (11.8 per cent), and
manufacturing (33.4 per cent). Extended SYETP had a similar industrial distribution. In
comparison, Commonwealth SYETP had relatively higher shares in clerical (both
keyboard clerical 21.5 per cent and 25.1 per cent in general administrative) and skilled
manual jobs, influenced by the restricted range of tasks in the agencies. 48
Not all placements were completed to the full length of their subsidy period. Overall,
more placements terminated due to voluntary withdrawal of trainees than due to dismissal.
However, for private sector placements only three quarters of approved subsidy time was
used due to non-completion of the full subsidy period. 49 Overall, trainee dismissals and
48 Of course, this meant that the industry was made up of 96.2 per cent ‘public/health or education/other
services’.
49 Entrants to Commonwealth placements could not have already experienced a placement lost due to
dismissal or voluntary withdrawal (precluding people with former negative experiences). However, after