Young Australians have expressed their frustration about competing with hundreds of other candidates for entry-level positions offering a salary of just $50,000 per year.

A disgruntled Reddit user posted a screenshot of a listing for a Level 1 Helpdesk Technician that had been posted on job website Seek.

The advertisement drew 919 applications, with the Perth-based role offering between $50,000 and $65,000 a year.

“About three years ago, when I was determining my career path and studies, all I heard was how IT was thriving in Australia, and you could secure a decent job with just a TAFE course,” a Reddit user shared.

‘I just feel like I fell into this trap.’

This user, who identified as a recent graduate holding a TAFE IT Advanced Diploma, mentioned that “attempting to secure an entry-level job seems nearly impossible at the moment.”

‘I never took for granted that just the diploma would give me a job, and always did self study, projects, and tried to do networking with people in the industry,’ they said.

‘But this is just the bare minimal in these days. I just wonder if I’m doing something wrong or the market is just cooked as it seems.’

Social media users leapt into the comments to offer some anecdotal insight into why there were so many applications.

‘From a recruitment perspective, most of those applications are either from bots or from overseas applications hoping for a visa,’ one said. 

Another recruiter related to the situation: ‘As someone who has advertised for a similar position recently and received about 480 applicants – this is the answer.

‘Out of those applicants at least 50 per cent are either overseas or visa limited applicants wanting sponsorship.

‘Of the remaining 50 per cent, another 20 per cent are eastern states based… but don’t mention anything about either having relocated or that they plan to relocate etc.

‘Of the remaining 30 per cent another 15 per are just straight-up applying for the sake of meeting Centrelink requirements,’ they said, using the example of a hairdresser with a cover page looking for hair dressing positions applying for an IT position.

They said that, among the remaining 15 per cent, ten per cent are not suitable, and then of the final five per cent, some had invalid contact details or did not respond.

Others said they had also struggled to find a job due to the high competition.

‘Why me, with ten years’ experience and living in smack dead centre of Perth, who has applied for over hundreds of jobs over the past two years, haven’t been able to land a job?’ one wrote.

Another added: ‘Getting the first job in IT after Tafe is the difficult one. After that, it’s easy to find work.’ 

Another woman highlighted how the same issue was being experienced across the ditch in New Zealand, after revealing in a TikTok video the staggering number of competitors she had to compete with to land a job. 

On the first page listing her applications, some jobs had up to 830 people also submitting their details for the role.

The former government employee said she had applied for a range of job sectors, including work in hospitality, retail, office administration, and warehouse roles.

Two days later, the Christchurch local took to TikTok again to say the most popular job now had 865 applicants, but that she had managed to get an interview for it. 

Hundreds of sympathetic social media users commented on the first video, sharing their own woes when job hunting.

‘I must have applied for 100 jobs and had five interviews before I got my job. it’s rough.. good luck,’ one said.

Another said: ‘Two years unemployed in Australia here… it’s REALLY bad… there’s just so many people and so little work.’

New LinkedIn research, based on a survey of 1,080 employed Australians by Pure Profile between May 30 and June 5, revealed that 60 per cent of Australians say they are missing out on relevant roles.

The reason was not due to a lack of skills, but because they said they are overwhelmed by outdated job search tools and unclear job titles.

At least 44 per cent said they feel burnt out from searching for jobs online.

The unemployment rate reached 4.3 per cent in June, which was the highest since November 2021, as states and cities emerged from Covid lockdowns.

The number of full-time jobs fell by 38,000, while 40,000 part-time jobs were created in June, signalling a sharp drop in working hours.

LinkedIn’s Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Matt Tindale, said ‘today’s job search can feel limited by rigid filters and predefined boxes’.

‘Mid-year is a natural time for professionals to pause and reflect on their careers – to reassess their goals and consider roles that truly inspire them,’ he said.