Fifteen to nineteen year olds are having difficulties in finding jobs. The total number of unemployed youth rose from 145,000 in June to 152,400 in July.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics show an 18 percent youth unemployment rate. The figure is slightly higher than the 11.9 percent of 2007.

Youth joblessness is rising even though the general unemployment rate is down by 0.4. In July, the general unemployment rate was at 5.3 percent. The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported gloomy labor conditions for 15-24 year-olds in the entire Asia-Pacific. In the ILO report, more than 36.4 million in the age group are unemployed. The figures are expected to rise until the end of 2010.

The ILO also noted an alarming disparity in employment prospects between males and females. In 2009, the youth unemployment rate for young females in Southeast Asia and the Pacific was 15.7 percent, while young males have 14 percent. The youth unemployment rates worldwide stood at 13.2 percent for women and 12.9 percent for men.

The ILO warned of the possible effects on peace and order conditions if the unemployment rates will continue to rise. The "sense of uselessness and idleness among young people... can lead to increased crime, mental health problems, violence, conflicts and drug-taking," the ILO emphasized.