On Internships — The Societal Danger
The Liberal Government in Australia has proposed “PaTH”, a program for young job seekers to perform 25 hour 8 week internships for as little as $4/hour.
PaTH has not gotten to a good start. For a start, the PaTH program appears to have redefined “internships” utterly. PaTH poses a societal danger to us all.
Danger One: The Loss of Jobs
For their advertising material, the types of internships they have proposed include “ in a cafe”, “new agency” and “stacking shelves.” These are obviously not internships — these are jobs. These are jobs that could be going towards many other willing Australians for a full wage. Paying your employee costs money. Obtaining an “intern” will give you money.
The chance to short term take on an “intern” and be paid for doing so, without the need to pay the intern at all, may see a loss of jobs in exchange for short term interns. Society needs more jobs, not fewer.
Danger Two: Interns as Interns
Interns will be considered Interns. This is dangerous as there is no coverage for interns under Workcover. Death, injury, ill health — this could all happen towards intern and yet there will be no coverage, no support offered. Currently, those who have died on the “Work for the Dole” programs have also not been covered by Workcover. It is unlikely any mechanisms to protect the safety of interns will be implemented. Society is refusing to protect the vulnerable in this situation.
Danger Three: The Devaluation of Skills and Jobs
Jobs are exceedingly hard to obtain. Job seekers who enter the cycle, find themselves increasingly devalued, competing with many others who are willing to do their job and more for “less”. This “less” will has gradually become nothing at all. It has gotten to the point where people are willing to pay for an internship! Why should employers take on an employee who wants a paid wage when they can obtain an intern that will work for free?
Danger Four: Intern Recycling
As a business, you must be able to manage your finances. Taxes, stock, accounts, employees. If your business cannot afford to maintain three employees, you should learn how to manage with two. And so on and so on. But now it is possible to obtain interns, why should you consider the cost of employees? Why should you hire that intern, who has been performing exceedingly well, with money that could go to per say — expanding your stock?
The likelihood that mechanisms will be enforced to prevent intern recycling are limited. As we speak, organizations currently intern recycling. There are two societal dangers here — a lack of long term employment for the young and a lack of accountability or responsibility taken on by businesses.
Conclusion
The “PaTH” program does not address the problems of youth unemployment. It does not make people employable, it puts them in a limbo state between employment and unemployment. All it is likely to do, is force people onto a cycle of poverty and constant internship undertaking for those who choose to recycle interns in and out, in and out.
