Unemployment down in WA as national rate rises

Thursday, 18 Feb 2016 11:13:53 | Rebecca Trigger

Part of a jobs website, January 2011. (ABC News)

Unemployment has fallen slightly in Western Australia, following a downward trend after hitting its highest point since the early 2000s in November.

The rate fell from 6.3 to 5.9 per cent from December to January, in seasonally adjusted terms, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures.

The improvement followed a 13-year peak in November of 6.5 per cent, the highest it had reached since February 2002.

Nationally, the rate jumped from 5.8 to 6 per cent over the same period, the first time it had risen in six months.

Most economists expected the rate to hold steady.

Nationally, 7,900 jobs were lost in the month, driven by a big fall in full-time jobs.

In WA, the number of people holding a full-time job fell by 2,500.

The total number of employed persons in WA fell in seasonally-adjusted terms by just 200 people to 1.35 million, as the participation rate, which includes the total number of people in work and job seekers, fell 30 basis points to 68.4 per cent.

Nationally the participation rate remained unchanged at 65.2 per cent.

WA Premier Colin Barnett said he was pleased by the improvement, but did not read anything into month-to-month figures.

"But I think we've probably seen the worst of the job losses, a lot of people dislocated out of the mining industry," he said.

"Many of those have probably been absorbed into other jobs, particularly in building construction around Perth.

"I think we've probably bottomed out and I hope that the unemployment figure stays lower."

AustraliaPlus

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Unemployment down in WA as national rate rises

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