Apprenticeships in the construction industry are at their lowest level in a decade at a time when youth unemployment is at its highest, a new report says.
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Phillip Toner, an honorary senior research fellow at the University of Sydney's department of political economy, has found the number of new apprenticeships in the construction industry has slumped by 28 per cent over the past three years.
Dr Toner, whose report was commissioned by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, said the slump was set to continue as the construction phase of the mining boom ends and growth in other sectors of the construction industry slows.
He said the ratio of apprentices to tradespeople had dropped to 12.4 per cent, its lowest level since 2003.
The mining industry also has a low proportion of apprentices compared with other industries.
"An extra 3300 apprentices would need to be employed to match the rate in all other industries," Dr Toner said. "While large mining companies have been a key employer of apprentices, this may no longer be the case.
"Alongside the big drop in apprentices, the unemployment rate across Australia for 15 to 19-year-olds is now at 21 per cent, more than double the rate in 2008 and the highest since April 1997."
