Young apprentices and trainees are leaving due to low wages and poor conditions.

In 2024, 83.3% of trade non-completers were employed after abandoning their apprenticeship or traineeship, according to the latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). This insight reveals that young workers are seeking employment but are being forced to leave their apprenticeships and give up the path to formal qualifications in search of a wage that covers basic living costs. 

At the heart of this problem? Junior Wages. Under Australia’s outdated workplace laws, young people can legally be paid less for doing the exact same job as someone a few years older - and it’s pushing young workers to the breaking point.

Young Workers Need a Living Wage 

The NCVER’s 2024 report released 24 March 2025 confirms low pay as one of the biggest reasons apprentices and trainees are quitting their jobs - because they simply can’t survive on what they’re being paid.

• In 2024, 83.3% of trade non-completers were employed after leaving their apprenticeship or traineeship, showing that they weren’t giving up on work altogether – they're looking for better pay and conditions.
• For non-trade apprenticeships, only 76.1% of non-completers were employed after quitting - a concerning drop of 5% year on year.
• The most common reason for leaving? Dissatisfaction with pay, working conditions, or the workplace - cited by 29.7% of trade non-completers (up 5.9% from last year).

The data is clear: this isn’t about an apprentice or a young person’s work ethic – but a system where they’re being underpaid and undervalued. And who could blame them for walking away when they’re being asked to survive on wages that can't even cover the basics?

Apprentices Are Voting with Their Feet

When young workers aren’t being paid fairly, they leave. The NCVER report shows that most non-completers didn’t just quit - they found new jobs that offered better pay and conditions:

• 66.8% of trade non - completers and 67.1% of non-trade non-completers had a different employer after leaving their apprenticeship or traineeship.
• The number one reason for switching? They were offered better pay.

Young workers want to work - but they refuse to be exploited.

$3 Billion Lost Every Year

Young workers in Australia are losing out on $3 billion every year because of junior wage laws. That’s $3 billion that’s not going toward rent, groceries, transport, or savings, but being pocketed by corporations and multinationals instead.

Junior wages are based on the outdated idea that young people don’t have real financial responsibilities. But that’s not reality anymore when we all know that:

• Rents are skyrocketing.
• Grocery prices are at record highs.
• Public transport and petrol costs keep rising.

Young workers are being forced to do more with less - and junior wage laws are making it harder for them to keep their heads above water.

Here's What Needs to Change

If the government is serious about building a skilled workforce and supporting young workers, they need to start by ending junior wages.

The government must:

• Strike out junior wages from all awards.
• Remove junior apprenticeship wages - apprentices deserve fair pay for the work they do.
• Give young workers superannuation for every dollar earned under the age of 18.

It’s simple: Equal pay for equal work - no matter your age.

Take Action: Fight for Fair Pay

Young workers don't get a living wage under the current system - but together, we can change that. The government will only act if they know that there are votes to be won by fixing this broken system.

Sign the petition today and join the fight to end junior wages. Every signature sends a message to politicians that young workers deserve better.