Unemployment at all time high in the middle of an alleged skills shortage
Sustainable Population Australia
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) calculates that the nation’s unemployment rate rose to a 5-year high of 4.7 per cent in September 2026.
- Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) calls for a population growth slowdown to force unemployment rates down.
SPA experts are available for further comment
Peter Strachan: National President -Sustainable Population Australia
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 0412 400 952 (available after 06:30am AWST)
A recent video of Mr Strachan may be watched HERE.
Quotes attributable to Peter Strachan:
“Australia’s population grew by 48 per cent or 9.1 million people since the turn of the century, in the face of widespread calls from business groups for an ongoing, rapid pace of immigration-fuelled population expansion to meet perceived skill shortages.
“If Australia had a real skill-shortage, the underemployment rate would not remain at 6.3 per cent, and real wages would be rising to attract workers and not stagnating as has been the case.
“Australia must retrain and up-skilling the unemployed while investing in productivity enhancing systems and technology, so that the economy works for people, and not the reverse.
“If never-ending population growth is the answer for the Australian society, SPA wants to know, what was the question.”
Michael Bayliss: Communications Manager – Sustainable Population Australia
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 0423 701 611
A recent video of Mr Bayliss may be watched HERE.
Quotes attributable to Michael Bayliss:
“We seem to live in a Schrödinger’s economy, where we have both a skills shortage AND high unemployment at the same time, with AI taking over many occupations.
“Vested interests are producing AI generated ads to spread misinformation on immigration, without taking into account the realities of Australia’s underemployment crisis.
“According to the SPA report Six Great Immigration Solutions, ‘there is little joined-up thinking in government data collection about skills shortages and migration outcomes.’ Had the federal government acted on SPA’s policy recommendations, Australia may have avoided its current predicament.
“Population growth has also caused devastating demand-driven increases in housing costs, along with rapidly rising costs of living are destroying the quality-of-life for most Australian residents, including those who have recently arrived.
“Ongoing infill suburban housing development along with destruction of bushland and productive agricultural areas, destroys the natural environment on which all life depends.”
About us:
SPA is an independent not-for-profit organisation seeking to protect the environment and our quality of life by ending population growth in Australia and globally, while rejecting racism and involuntary population control. SPA is an environmental advocacy organisation, not a political party.