Students face bleak part-time job prospects

by Matt Carr
A human resources specialist believes the cooling economic climate will make it harder for students to gain experience in their chosen industries.
‘I think all over it’s going to be more difficult for students,’ said Keri Spooner, a senior UTS lecturer in human resource management.
While the work force would shift towards casual and part-time employment, this may not offer students any more opportunities.
‘Remember, those individuals who’ve been in the permanent employment are going to be queuing up for those jobs,’ she said.
Jennifer Duke, who starts a Communications degree at UTS this year, said that while she is looking for work, a job related to her studies seemed unreachable.
‘It’s a bit hard. There’s not that many jobs out there that are just casual, ones that relate to my degree,’ she said.
While Ms Spooner acknowledges that most students take casual work in fields other than their area of study, she believes those jobs will suffer, and some may have already.
‘There’s been this incredible erosion of the number of hours they’re getting,’ she said.
‘If you’re a casual, they don’t have to terminate you. What you’ll find is they just call you in for fewer shifts.’
Among an influx of students moving into inner-city housing for the new school year, Adelaide native Bianca de Meyrick says that moving from another area can also be a disadvantage.
‘I don’t really have any idea where anything is at the moment,’ she said. ‘I’m going to have a look at some stuff around UTS and Broadway, but I am a little bit worried because…there are a lot of students who are looking for work, but I’ll have to see how it goes.’