Since leaving school in year 11, Zak Pawliw, 21, has been studying website design at TAFE and is facing tough competition in trying to get his first job.
"It's a very competitive industry," he says.
"I don't have any work experience so it's been hard."
So far, he has not received any replies to his applications for about 20 jobs and internships this year.
Up to five young people are now competing for every entry-level job advertised across Australia according to a new report to be released on Thursday.
The Anglicare Australia report found there were 124,285 people who were unemployed and looking for entry-level jobs in May when only 15 per cent of all jobs advertised (25,979) were at that level.
A total of 711,900 people were unemployed in May and 1.1 million were underemployed.
The 2017 Jobs Availability Snapshot reported that growth in full-time employment has not helped people facing significant barriers to work. It says the market cannot be relied upon to fix these problems without intervention.
The report says government intervention "must move away from failed policies that force people onto an endless hamster wheel of job searching and training unlinked to real job prospects".
"If we persist with an approach that's failing, we are simply denying people jobs," it says.
"We are denying them stability, activity, dignity and a connection to society."
Mr Pawliw who lives in South Windsor is studying for his web development diploma at Richmond TAFE.
He is also getting help with his job seeking skills at the Schools Industry Partnership in Penrith.
Youth development coach Alex Webb said Mr Pawliw is highly motivated to get a job.
"He is good and confident and just needs a go," she said.
"The industry he wants to get into is quite competitive so he is trying to get an internship to get work experience under his belt.
"It's always been tough for young people. It's hard for them to even get into retail industry which is now asking for years of experience.
"That wasn't [the case] when I was going for my first job."
Anglicare is also critical of the federal government mutual obligation policy which it says punishes and blames people struggling to get work.
"[T]here has been a significant increased focus on punishing people for perceived failure to comply with mandatory requirements by cutting their income payments," the report said.
"Their policies are not evidence-based, or at all effective in helping people find a job, particularly those with significant barriers to overcome to be able to compete in the jobs market."
The report said there is no evidence to show that work for the dole schemes are effective in helping people obtain employment, and in fact they too often prevent people from securing and retaining work, particularly if a job is casual.
"Equally, no amount of forcing people to search for work changes the fact that there simply aren't enough jobs with low skills and qualification requirements available compared to the number of people needing them," it said.
Anglicare also recommends that Newstart and Youth Allowance rates be increased to reflect the cost of living. It says government payments have become a "poverty trap instead of a safety net".
The Newstart payment is $538.80 per fortnight, well below the minimum wage equivalent for two weeks of $1389.80 (before tax).
"Yet a single person on Newstart has their income support cut by $75 per fortnight for earning an extra $254 a fortnight - which equates to just 14 hours of paid work at the adult minimum wage rate," the Anglicare report says.
"[R]ather than being rewarded for obtaining work and supported with income stability to reach minimum wage levels, people are in effect financially penalised for working."
