Victoria is leading the nation in jobs and population growth. Photo: VIC Tourism.
Recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that Victoria’s regional communities are leading the country in employment.
While the national average of regional unemployment sits at 3.3 per cent, the southern state now boasts a lower rate of 2.8 per cent and a total workforce of over 3.68 million people.
The state has been pinned with the nation’s equal lowest regional unemployment rate for October, which is no surprise given their overall job market has never been stronger.
While the country’s regional communities have struggled to keep a sturdy job market, Victoria leads the country and has brought in 210,000 jobs since 2014 to a present total of 868,600. In the last three years, nearly 540,000 jobs have been created in the state, far beyond the next best-performing state of New South Wales, which created just over 400,000 jobs in the same period.
ABS reports a 0.9 per cent unemployment rate in Warrnambool and the South West, while the Shepparton region holds at 1 per cent. Within and around Bendigo, the rate is 1.6 per cent, while the North-West is 2.4 per cent.
Treasurer Tim Pallas said more people working in regional Victoria provides security and confidence for families planning for the future.
“Confident businesses create jobs and make communities stronger – it’s fantastic c to see employment continuing to grow across the state.”
Over the prior month, Victoria’s participation rate rose to a record 67.7 per cent, which the government attributes to the state’s economic performance.
