Record low unemployment has done little to improve the fortunes of people who have been out of work for years.
The jobs market is still failing the long-term unemployed despite the jobless rate hovering around 50-year lows, with job seekers in this category competing fiercely over disappearing entry-level jobs.
Anglicare Australia research found there were typically 15 people without qualifications or work experience competing for each entry-level job.
And, in the past 12 months, the number of unemployed and underemployed people had shrunk by more than 20 per cent but the number of job seekers with barriers to work remained relatively stable.
Executive director Kasy Chambers said the same people were missing out on jobs despite the ultra-competitive jobs market.
"Our system is failing those who need the most help to find work - people with disabilities, who didn't finish year 12, or older workers who lost their jobs later in life," she said.
The report also found entry level jobs were slowly disappearing, with applicants needing a tertiary education and at least three years' experience for nearly half of all vacant jobs.
Ms Chambers called for an overhaul of Workplace Australia, Australia's employment services system, and for a focus on entry-level job creation.
"We need to create entry-level opportunities for people in growing industries like aged and disability care," she said.
The government is undertaking a review of Workplace Australia.
Meanwhile, Australia's trade surplus has edged lower to $12.2 billion as both imports and exports remain fairly stable.
The October surplus dropped from $12.4 billion in September, which surged from $8.3 billion in August largely due to strong resource exports.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics' October print showed exports dipping 0.9 per cent and imports falling 0.7 per cent over the month.
Non-rural goods exports fell 0.5 per cent, with metal ores and minerals down two per cent.
Rural goods rose 1.7 per cent, led by a 9.8 per cent lift in cereal grains exports.
International trade figures follow the nation's economic health check on Wednesday, which showed the economy growing by 0.6 per cent - less than the higher 0.9 per cent lift in the three months prior.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers commented on the slowdown in economic growth revealed in Wednesday's national accounts.
"Our prospects next year will be largely determined by some combination of the war in Ukraine, the Chinese economy, what happens in the US, the UK and Europe," he told ABC radio.
He said China's shift away from its COVID-zero policy was a massive development.
China has decided to roll back some of its toughest anti-COVID restrictions, including allowing people to isolate at home if they test positive rather than in state facilities.
"We have been very concerned about this big COVID wave that (China) has been going through right now, and how they manage that will be absolutely key to our own prospects here in Australia," Dr Chalmers said.
