The Jobs and Skills Australia report has canvassed the concerning state of education and employment for young people in regional areas, noting the disparity that exists when compared to the scene in our major cities.

While non-attendance figures for regional students in Years 1-10 have been consistently higher than those in cities, this gap has widened in recent years, the report flags.

The latest data shows while there has been ‘some recovery’ post-COVID, non-attendance rates for regional schools sat at 14.6 per cent in 2024 – well above their pre-COVID level of 10.6 per cent in 2019.

By comparison, in 2014, the regional non-attendance rate sat at 9 per cent.

Meanwhile, major cities recorded a 11 per cent non-attendance rate last year.

‘Key emerging barriers’ may be driving the recent slide in regional attendance rates, the report said, suggesting natural disasters in some regions and the disruptions brought on by the pandemic could explain the growing regional/urban gap.

“The barriers for student absence from school are often complex, interrelated and often specific to the student, family, school and community involved,” it states.

One secondary school teacher from regional Victoria told EducationHQ last year that our ‘shocking cultural apathy’ towards education was “creating a generation of helpless illiterates, especially in the country”.

The report warns that school attendance has “significant and long-lasting social and economic impacts on both future educational and labour market outcomes”.

“Attendance at school provides children with opportunities to develop basic blocks for learning and educational attainment as well as social and emotional skills such as communication, resilience and teamwork,” the report adds.

“Such key foundation skills are critical for future engagement in education and employment, and is thus is a key measure in assessing the likelihood of foundation skills being developed by youth in their early years…”

There are also broader impacts on the community that flow on from children attending school, allowing for parents and caregivers to contribute to the workforce.

Lynette Ross from Batchelor Institute and Jobs and Skills Australia, warns of an intensifying ‘intergenerational divide’ being felt in regional areas.

Language, literacy and numeracy is a significant barrier in regional Australia, Ross notes in the report.

“An intergenerational divide has emerged … leaving some disadvantaged cohorts without the foundational skills required to participate in training, education or employment opportunities," she says.

“Unless addressed as a key priority, this divide will only worsen.”

A growing group of disengaged regional youth aged 18-24 years are a ‘key concern’, the report says.

This cohort are not undertaking employment, education or training, and “many are at risk of ultimately failing to make a successful transition” into the workforce.   

While 12.2 per cent of regional 18-24-year-olds were disengaged in 2023, this rose to 15.3 per cent in 2024.

“The increase of 3.1 percentage points was well above the increase in major cities, of 0.5 percentage points, to 9.4 per cent in 2024.

“The substantial gap highlights the additional support that is required for youth in regional Australia to overcome barriers and move towards participating in education, training and employment,” the report states.

Worker recruitment remains a major challenge in the bush, with almost one in 10 essential jobs sitting vacant.

The report outlines a roadmap for change, calling for all secondary students in regional areas to have access to high quality careers education in school that is “broadly based, well researched and deeply connected to local community and its businesses”.

The provision of vocational and trade-based opportunities in senior secondary schooling is essential, the report says, and opportunities to boost access to dedicated trade colleges ought to be explored.

A separate report released this year highlighted how the system was failing our young people when it comes to career transition.

Produced by HEDx and Year13, the report found just 27 per cent of young people surveyed say their high school helped them feel prepared for their post-school future.

Some 70 per cent also said they’d experienced high levels of anxiety, depression and fear in Year 12 due to confusion and uncertainty about their future career paths.

Will Stubley, Year13 co-founder and co-CEO, told EducationHQ that the school-to-work transition is one of the most pivotal phases in a young person’s life, yet research shows for many, particularly those in low socio-economic contexts, almost all of their careers information comes from Google searches or family members. 

“It’s a global problem, almost everyone has a story,” Stubley said.

“Whether it’s yourself, your kids, your brother, sister, your friend – it’s an age-old problem of what are you prepared for versus what is the reality when you leave school. And I think it’s getting worse.”