Emergency income support has a time and place in buoying Australians through the pandemic. But the usefulness of the unprecedented — but nonetheless unsustainable — emergency measures is very quickly reaching the end of its course. 

New data show that employers are struggling to find workers to fill vacant posts. Over half of employers reporting recruitment difficulties say the challenge is a lack of applicants — despite record numbers of individuals currently sitting idly on the employment sidelines. 

It’s understandable that attention has primarily been paid to the rate of unemployment when judging the scale of the pandemic’s economic conditions.