Many mature-age people want to work, but don't know where to start.
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This, according to Envision Employment Services, who recently launched a regional employment trial aimed at getting people aged over 50 back into work.
The Hidden Workforce project is geared towards promoting the benefits of hiring mature-age people to prospective employers, while also helping participants to see their age as a benefit and not a barrier for employment.
With an over-represented number of unemployed mature-aged workers in Launceston, EES Invermay site supervisor Martin Collins said people who had been out of work for a long time often dealt with social isolation and anxiety.
"What we want to do is put people at ease, and get them into the right frame of mind to get back out there and start looking for work," he said.
"I think a lot of them simply need a sense of direction. The idea behind this program is simply to get them back into a routine.
"To help them prioritise their approach to job seeking and to look at job seeking as a job in itself."
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Tasmania has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 6.7 per cent compared to 5.2 per cent nationally, according to the latest labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
In trend terms, Tasmania lost a net 300 full-time jobs in June, while the number of full-time jobs have declined by 6200 since June last year.
With eight sites in Melbourne, ESS established its first Tasmanian workshop at Invermay in May last year, with the goal of assisting disadvantaged job seekers.
With topics including computer skills, updating resumes and writing cover letters, Mr Collins said he hoped Hidden Workforce would equip mature-age workers with the right skills to find employment.
"We are dealing with people on a very much case-by-case basis," he said.
"Bearing in mind that most people have been out of work for quite some time, everyone's needs are different and their reasons for returning to the workforce are also different.
"We will tailor it [Hidden Workforce] to what that person needs."
On Thursday, August 8 ESS will host a Hidden Workforce information session at Elphin Sports Centre at 12pm.
The free session will highlight the purpose of the Hidden Workforce project and what participants can expect to get out of it.
For more information email martin@envisionemployment.com.au, call 0420 812 541 or visit envision.org.au.