The Victorian economy is bouncing back with more jobs created than anywhere else in the nation in January, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Treasurer Tim Pallas said more than 43,000 people found employment in Victoria in January, which followed the increase in employment of more than 170,000 people over the three months to December.
“Victoria is ahead of the nation’s employment rate and if it wasn’t for Victoria’s January figures, the nation’s jobs growth would have been negative,” Mr Pallas said.
“The unemployment rate also dropped 0.2 percentage points to 6.3 per cent, below the national average of 6.4 per cent,” he said.
“Victorians are returning to the jobs market, as Victoria’s participation rate surged to 66.7 per cent – just below the all-time record of 66.8 per cent before the impact of coronavirus.”
Mr Pallas said the State Government was providing support to businesses and families with more than $13 billion committed since last March.
He said Victoria’s Jobs Plan was at the centre of the State’s 2020-2021 Budget, which included a $619 million allocation to help those most impacted by the pandemic – women, young people and Victorians without a formal qualification.
“We are well on our way to achieving our goal of creating 400,000 jobs by 2025,” he said.
The ABS data for January can be accessed on its website at this PS News link.
