"I was really trying," he said. He's not alone, a new report has found four to 12 jobseekers are competing for each low-skilled, entry-level job advertised. Entry-level jobs require little or no work experience or qualifications and include those for cleaners, labourers, laundry workers, salespeople, clerical, office support staff, farm and garden workers. Of 185,662 job vacancies advertised in May this year, fewer than 26,000 - 14 per cent - were low-skilled entry-level jobs.

A report from Anglicare said that entry-level jobs have become harder to find than in previous decades when school leavers had less difficulty finding a job without any tertiary qualifications or job skills. It found that low-skilled job seekers were also now competing with more highly-skilled candidates for the same jobs. The Anglicare Australia national jobs availability snapshot shows that nearly 111,000 people are looking for 26,000 available low-skilled, entry-level jobs. The report found there are not enough of entry-level jobs available to meet demand for them in any state across Australia. The number of these jobs has halved as a percentage of job advertisements since 2006. The report said that low-skilled jobseekers were being "left out of the narrative that assures us we are in the midst of a jobs boom, and that the inability to find a job is an individual failure instead of a structural one". The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations lists five skill levels with the highest skill category being level 1 and the lowest being level 5. Level 5 occupations require no formal qualification or the completion of secondary school or a Certificate I. They may or may not require a short period of on-the-job training in addition to or instead of a formal qualification. Level 4 occupations require a Certificate II or III qualification or at least one year of relevant experience in lieu of formal qualifications.

The Jobs Availability Snapshot found that at least four job seekers are competing for each low-skilled, entry-level job across Australia. Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers. As at August 2018, there were 2,130,600 people employed in skill level 5 occupations, according to the federal government. More than 714,000 people are unemployed, and 110,735 are facing barriers to work. Executive director of Anglicare Australia Kasy Chambers said the job market was "failing" those who need the most help to find work – those without qualifications or recent experience.

"Our research shows that at least four of these job seekers are competing for each job at their level," she said. Ms Chambers said low-skilled, entry-level jobs were "slowly disappearing" and that there were not enough available to meet the demand of job seekers around the country. In South Australia for example, there are eight job seekers competing for each entry-level job. In Tasmania, there are 12 job seekers for each available low-skilled job. There are nearly two people vying for each suitable job in the ACT, three in Victoria, nearly four in NSW and close to five in Queensland. Nationally, an average of four people are competing for each available job at the low-skilled entry level. Ms Chambers it was taking an average of five years to find work for those who need the most help. Anglicare has recommended an increase in the Newstart and Youth Allowance to prevent people becoming trapped in poverty.

“By any measure the Jobactive network is failing," Ms Chambers said. Loading The Commonwealth government's Jobactive program is a free recruitment service that connects job seekers with employers. It aims to support job candidates with pre-employment training and screens them on behalf of prospective employers. Employers are paid a subsidy when they recruit and retain the workers. Ms Chambers said the program should be more tailored for each person. "That means working in partnership with people taking into account their situation, strengths and goals. It means helping people find the right training programs and jobs for them. And it means supporting them to stay in work once they’re there," she said. “These changes are urgent. If we don’t fix this broken system, we will go on forcing people to compete for jobs that simply aren’t there.”

Labor's spokesman for Employment Brendan O'Connor accused the federal government of ignoring the issue and said the Anglicare report "is another indication that there are persistent underlying challenges in the labour market, including the relentless challenges faced by entry level job seekers". Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, Kelly O’Dwyer said more more Australians are in full-time work than ever before. "Employment services are achieving strong results in helping job seekers move from welfare to work," she said. "Jobactive has achieved more than 1.1 million job placements and has delivered better employment outcomes at a lower cost than previous models." "The Coalition Government recognises that the best way to help people get work is to build a strong economy that enables employers to be more productive, more competitive, more innovative and to create more job opportunities." A federal government spokesman said it is considering the future of employment services after 2020 when the Jobactive program ends. An independent Employment Services Expert Advisory Panel has been commissioned to review the system.