17 jobs and five careers

THE typical 18-year-old today can expect to work 17 jobs over five careers in their lifetime.

Young people are changing jobs more than ever and waiting longer to find full-time work, according to research exploring “job churning” by the Foundation for Young Australians.

The research found young people are at risk of being “left behind” as automation rapidly changes the job market.

The average young adult waits 4.7 years to find full-time work after school or university. It marks a dramatic change from 1986 when people could expect to find full-time work within a year of leaving school.

And almost one in three young adults are on short-term or casual contracts, according to a University of Melbourne study, Life Patterns, which has tracked the work habits of young people since 1991.