IN THE CBD

For twenty years I helped lead a team of over 400 staff engaged in helping unemployed people find jobs. One year we got over 4000 unemployed people into real jobs. But it was always easier in remote, rural and regional communities to get people into long-term work than it was in the inner city.

Over the years I had hundreds of fruitless discussions trying to urge nice people who were unemployed to trust us to help them get work. But most did not want to work. They wanted to live on unemployment benefits, or the dole, or a disability pension. It wasn’t that they were lazy, it was mainly because they were afraid of failure, afraid they could not stand the competition, because they had no sense of self worth that said they deserved to have a job.

ON THE CENTRAL COAST

I never found that attitude in the country. Perhaps because they were not constantly surrounded by people who considered themselves losers. This week three men in their twenties were drowning their sorrows in a beer or six when one suggested they seek work by some self-promotion. He had been looking for full-time work for six months. The second had been seeking without success a traineeship in real estate. The third still at University wanted a part-time job in accounting. They decided on a plan and one got some cardboard from his wife’s work.

They made three signs: “We are looking for work. Hire us.” They wore suits and ties, were clean-shaven and stood by the Central Coast Highway with the signs. The first day they were given seven good offers of jobs. The second day they had another seven. Today all are employed doing what they wanted. “All we wanted was for someone to give us a go.” Personal initiative paid off. There are several lessons here for people to realize.

Rev The Hon Dr Gordon Moyes, A.C., M.L.C.

Thursday, 6th May, 2010, 1:07 pm | Articles