According to the Australian Retail Association (ARA), there are more than 40,000 job vacancies that the industry can’t fill. So what’s the solution? Make those roles more attractive? Improve pay and working conditions? Take serious steps to address the harassment retail workers often face? All bandaid solutions, I’m afraid. Nope, what we really need is more children in the workforce.
The ARA is calling for uniform rules across the country allowing kids as young as 13 to work in retail. At the moment, child employment is governed on a state-by-state basis. As it happens, in Queensland and Western Australia, 13-year-olds can already work, subject to various limitations, and in most states newspaper delivery and work for family businesses are fine, potentially for even younger workers.
Of course, this is the latest in a long series of calls for a relaxation of laws around child employment, and in some cases businesses thought the best approach was to ask for forgiveness rather than permission when it came to child labour breaches. And we’re sure the fact the minimum rate of pay applicable to someone 16 or under is roughly half of what you’d have to pay an adult — not to mention younger workers are less likely to know their rights, and thus far more vulnerable to all forms of exploitation — has nothing to do with that calculation.
We have to be fair and note that the ARA isn’t just targeting kids — it’s also trying to loosen the rules around older workers so they can get more hours under their belt without affecting their pension. And compared to some of the schemes put forward by government, retailers’ calls seem downright moderate: in New South Wales, where they really, really, really don’t like young people, it was privately suggested that children as young as 10 could do unpaid labour to pay off big COVID fines.
It is not surprising to find out that NSW is the only state to place no limits on child labour. And, of course, Scott Morrison’s solution to COVID-related supply chain issues was getting 16-year-olds to drive forklifts in warehouses, which prompted a spike of ridicule noteworthy even by the standards of one of the most frequently dunked-upon prime ministers of all time.
How young is too young when it comes to getting a job? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
